Ever the Lotus
by Kanna37
Summary: "What are you?" Sesshoumaru asked that question the moment Kagome pulled Tessaiga from its pedestal... and it was never answered. When Kagome disappears back home after the fall of Naraku, Sesshoumaru finds himself searching for that very answer. 1st Best Sesshoumaru Portrayal Dokuga 4th Quarter 2011.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

A/N: The Lotus stands for Mystery... and Truth. I find that oddly... fitting.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru stood on the edge of a thousand foot drop-off and tilted his head into the cool night air, inhaling deeply of it. Perusing the brilliant backdrop of deepest midnight blue, scattered by the diamond lights of a billion stars, the daiyoukai pondered the answers he'd gathered – and the questions still to _be_ answered.

It seemed that the more answers he garnered, the more questions that were raised.

Higurashi, Kagome – the once and future Shikon Miko. Supposedly.

From the moment he'd met her in his father's tomb, certain... oddities, so to speak, about the girl had caused a part of him to wonder – though at the time, it was merely in an abstract way. He'd not been curious enough to care whether she lived or died at that time – and when she'd gotten in his way, he'd tried to kill her.

His efforts had been in vain – and that had been enough of an aberration to irritate him. When he wanted something dead, it died.

But not her.

At first, he'd simply assumed that Tessaiga had protected her, because she'd been the one to draw it from its resting place – a feat he himself had been unable to accomplish, to his disgust.

He could remember questioning her provenance at that time.

"_What are you?" _

That very first question had gone unanswered – another thing that was an aberration. When he, Sesshoumaru, questioned a thing, he expected answers. In this case, however, he had been reduced to actually seeking the answers he wanted, because as time had gone on other things had come to light about the girl that did not fit with what she claimed to be.

There was too much that didn't measure up about the girl who was hailed as a simple human miko.

She was not youkai, that was easy to see. And though she did, at first glance and even second, resemble nothing more than a human, if you took a third look, you began to see things that were an impossibility for a human.

His ruminations were interrupted by Jaken, then, as his gami servant finally returned from the errand he'd been sent on.

With an obsequious bow, he said, "Sesshoumaru-sama, I spoke to Bokuseno-sama as you ordered, and he said that he would not speak with me about this matter. He said that if you wish answers, then you should have enough-" the toad cringed, "-respect to seek them yourself."

Sesshoumaru did not react, his eyes still idly watching the night sky as though he had not a care in the world. After a few minutes when he hadn't been sliced into pieces, Jaken scooted back a little, and quietly moved to curl up with his Staff of Two Heads under the tree nearest his Lord.

_So... you wish me to ask you myself? For the sake of what I seek, I will indulge you – for now._

Putting the now-impending visit to the ancient magnolia-youkai out of his mind for the time being, he returned to his previous thoughts.

During the hunt for the hanyou Naraku Sesshoumaru had crossed paths with his brother and the girl many times. However, most of those meetings had been restricted to combat between he and Inuyasha. Because of that, he did not really gain any insight into her that would attract any more of his attention than she had from the circumstances in his father's tomb.

But at the end... the final battle with Naraku... _that_ was when she had burst onto the horizon of his mind like a comet across the night sky, blazing into his consciousness with an indomitable flame that he'd been unable to quench since.

When he'd defeated Magatsuhi, the burst of pure energy that had come from the girl had rid the entirety of Naraku's bloated body of his poison, forcing the dark hanyou to create more in an attempt to destroy them. And while the rest of the group had needed protection from the horrid miasma, she alone of the supposed humans had not needed any – her aura alone purifying all traces of the poison in her vicinity.

Miko she was supposed to be, reiki user – and yet, the monk that had traveled with his brother, a houriki user, had been unable to do the same. He'd wondered then, though he'd put that little matter to the back of his mind to ponder _after _Naraku's defeat.

And then...

The spider's final act of defiance towards his brother's group had led to the over-sized carcass of the hanyou being set on a collision course with the village that they called home.

Sesshoumaru had been as close to awed shock as he'd ever been as he'd witnessed something he would never have believed possible – the _so-called_ miko completely purifying the remains of Naraku's body – as well as all the shouki that had already dropped on the entire region.

With one arrow. _A_ _single arrow._

Every last bit of shouki. was. gone. While the landscape would take time to heal from the damage, what she had done should not have been possible – not for a mere human _miko. _

After all, human bodies were only capable of channeling so much power before they burned out.

It amazed him constantly that none of those she'd traveled with for so long had ever questioned her provenance. They had all simply accepted her as a human miko that was the reincarnation of the former miko Kikyou.

At that thought, an almost silent scoff passed his lips. It was ludicrous. That girl was no more a reincarnation of a human miko than he, himself was.

What she was, was a carrier. She had carried a soul that wasn't technically hers within her – and that had allowed Urasue to complete her spell.

If it hadn't been for Kagome the spell would not have worked at all – because Kikyou's soul had not been available to the witch to animate her clay recreation. Her soul had indeed been within Kagome – but not as a part of the girl. No, Kikyou was simply a passenger within Kagome because of the Shikon jewel.

But because of the potency of the spell Urasue had used, Kagome had lost her entire soul, instead, though she was not Kikyou born again.

That brought up another impossibility that the woman had accomplished. After the soul had left her body, she should have been dead. Gone. Forever. Instead, she'd pulled her soul back from the witch's spell.

She had basically _resurrected_ _herself _from death.

And still no one noticed the mystery of her, completely blinded by their own misconceptions.

Of course, he himself had not been aware of the circumstances of Kikyou's return at the time it had occurred. No... it had been through his search for answers after Kagome had gone back to her own era, disappearing from this one, that he had begun to gather some of the pieces of the cipher that was the girl from the future.

The questions that had burst into his mind at her shows of such impossible and seemingly instinctual power had guaranteed that he would begin looking for answers.

He was, after all, a curious being – and he did not like leaving a mystery such as the one that surrounded her untouched.

No... even if it took centuries, he would have his answers. After all, it would not matter in the end, truly – that was another thing about Kagome. Five hundred years in the future or not, he could wait six hundred years... and then go and track her down.

Because she would still exist. Death would never lay its dark, cold hands on her – at least, not by any natural means... and most likely not even by _un_natural means.

That had been one of the first answers he'd gained after starting this quest – that the girl was timeless – though she did not seem to be consciously aware of that fact.

He'd been understandably taken aback when he'd learned of the false celestial maiden Kaguya... and her desire to swallow the dark-haired female that seemed so... human. The youkai Kaguya had wanted Kagome's immunity to time.

That tidbit of information had caused him to truly wonder about the intelligence level of the group that traveled with his half-brother. He couldn't understand why none of them had noticed such a glaring and impossible fact.

Humans were not immune to time. No exceptions. Even those that maintained youth and beauty by merging with lower youkai, such as the dark miko Tsubaki, were not immune to time. The only thing such a merger could give was an _extended _life – sooner or later, the being would still age and die.

Kagome would _not_.

He watched silently as the sky began to lighten, night turning to day as he wandered through the maze in his mind that was named Kagome. Even after almost three years of traveling and searching out answers, he had only gathered such a meager store of facts.

She had more power than any human could rightly claim. She used it with no training – it was completely instinctual. And she was not subject to time or death.

That was all he had gained.

And while he had those simple facts, he still did not have a conclusion to his ultimate question.

_What is Kagome Higurashi?_

Perhaps Bokuseno would have some answers for him – after all, as the oldest amongst all the beings currently living, he knew much of what mysteries still existed in this realm.

At the very least, he could set Sesshoumaru's feet on the correct path.

For that, he would tolerate the old tree's demands.

This time.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru watched calmlyy as Bokuseno's aged bark rippled and his face appeared to greet his visitor.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru. It seems that you truly desire these answers your retainer was seeking, if you were willing to come to such a summons as I sent with him."

"Your words were a test?" Sesshoumaru asked coolly, eyes narrowing minutely.

The tree chuckled, branches creaking with the vibrations. "Oh, yes. For why should I impart my wisdom to one who does not _truly _desire it?"

"That would imply that you actually have wisdom to impart on this topic, Bokuseno," Sesshoumaru countered, and the ancient Magnolia laughed aloud.

"And you have caught me out so neatly, proud warrior. Let us say that I do, indeed, know somewhat of what you seek. What then? What are you willing to give for my answers?"

"You offer an exchange, then," Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully. "What is it you wish from this one?"

"The same thing _you_ wish from _this_ one. Knowledge." A curious look crossed the tree's face, then. "That is, if you even have an answer for what I would ask. Perhaps you do not – but it is a risk I am willing to take."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed just slightly as he considered the youkai before him for several moments – it was apparent that Bokuseno was playing some sort of game with him. After thinking about it for a few seconds, though, he decided that it did not really matter – let the tree play his games. As long as he gave him something of what he was seeking, he could walk away the winner of this skirmish.

"Very well. What is it you wish to ask, old one?"

"I have known you for centuries, Sesshoumaru, and never have you cared for anything that did not directly affect you. This girl does not. She is not even in this era any longer – and yet you spend three years and endless travels searching for answers to the Lotus. Why is it that you so determinedly seek the answers that you do?"

Sesshoumaru's lids slid to half-mast as he considered the tree's question. _Lotus?_ After a time, he said, "This one seeks to know what Higurashi Kagome is in the scheme of things. Just because she is not here now, does not mean our paths will not cross again later. It is best to know your enemy – even when you are not entirely certain that they _are_ an enemy. I would know the girl – knowledge is power, after all, and I seek power in all forms."

Bokuseno stared at him for quite a while, and then shook himself, an amused expression creasing his face with laugh lines. "I am pleased that I have gotten at least a partial answer from you, Sesshoumaru. But you should continue to ponder that question, as well, while you are thinking on the origins of the girl – because your answer was not complete." He held the daiyoukai's gaze for a moment longer, then sighed and closed weary eyes, the smile fading. "It is your turn. Ask what you will."

"It is the only answer there can be to your question, old one. Do not hold any expectation that there is more to hear, for you will surely be disappointed," Sesshoumaru said coldly, wondering just what the tree was really digging for, and then deciding it didn't matter. It was time for his answers, and that was all that counted in his eyes.

"What is the power that she wields? It cannot be true reiki, such as miko and houshi use – they are trained from a young age in the spells and prayers and chants that allow them to borrow and use the power of the kami. This girl has no training, uses no chants, prayers, or spells – and yet, she has more power than any supposed human has ever had. More than almost any youkai, as well."

Bokuseno laughed knowingly at that last qualifier as he opened his eyes up again. "Are you so sure that she is less powerful than _some_ youkai? Perhaps she is _more_ powerful than any youkai – in which case, your search for knowledge about her may be dangerous to your person. It is, after all, not wise to hunt something that is stronger than you," he finished mockingly.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes warningly, but did not answer, and Bokuseno sighed once more, then, with a shake of branch and bow, settled deeper into the earth. "The power that the girl carries is her own, Sesshoumaru, just as your youki is native to you. You are correct that she doesn't wield true reiki, which is simply the borrowed power of the kami watered down for human usage." With a peculiar intensity, he reiterated, "Her power is her _own_... it is _not_ borrowed."

At that, Sesshoumaru's gaze burned with all the intensity he was capable of as he turned those words over in his mind. _There are four main sources of power – that of youki, the power of youkai, reiki, the human-wielded borrowed power of the gods, the power of the gods t__hemselves__, and sorcery, which is magic. She is not youkai, so that cannot be her source, and she does not use reiki..._

_Sorcery? The only other answer is untenable. She cannot be one of the kami._

Bokuseno watched quietly for several minutes and then prompted the daiyoukai. "Is that all you wish to ask, Sesshoumaru?"

"One more thing. Is there any other way to reach her era save the old well that sits in Inuyasha's forest?"

"Not that this tree is aware of. But I will tell you this – it is very possible that she will return to this time again. For one who has enough patience there will be rewards - whether you measure that in knowledge, or in the presence of the girl herself," he finished slyly.

To his disappointment, Sesshoumaru did not take the bait, simply eyeing him one last time and then turning on his heel and leaving the glade without another word.

While the old tree's last words were irritating, Sesshoumaru decided, he was, overall, pleased with the answers he'd gotten. Now to go consider what he'd been told.

Afterward, he would decide a direction to take in his continuing inquiries – there were, after all, many other sources of information still left untapped.

He would leave no stone unturned in his quest for answers.

~oOo~

A month had passed while Sesshoumaru lost himself in thought, turning over every fact he knew, and every thing he only suspected before placing it in order, much like a jigsaw puzzle in his mind.

He had just this morning decided his next course of action – he would seek out a sorcerer, and question him on his power... and its capabilities. He needed to know if sorcery could, indeed, be the wellspring of Kagome's abilities.

With that goal in mind, Sesshoumaru headed for the most powerful sorcerer he knew of – a kitsune youkai known only as Kijutsu, or magic.

_Not very inventive, but I suppose sorcery does not require a strong imagination. I am sure that he can nonetheless answer my inquiries acceptably, as my questions should be simple to answer for one of even meager magical knowledge._

The trip, taken by air was short, and before long Sesshoumaru found himself landing in a small, sheltered dell, where a modest appearing hut was nestled quite comfortably.

He was not fooled.

"Do not attempt to use your petty illusions on this Sesshoumaru, kitsune," he said, his baritone voice even, though edged sharply with threat.

"Ah, ha, ha, Sesshoumaru-sama," came the almost instant reply, "what can this lowly Kijutsu do for you?"

Sesshoumaru said not a word, instead raising his youki enough to show that the threat in his voice could quickly become reality, and within moments a nervous looking kitsune appeared a few meters away from the daiyoukai, bowing respectfully – and fearfully.

"You will answer my questions. If I deem the answers acceptable, you will live."

Kijutsu swallowed heavily, and nodded. "I'm at your disposal, honorable Sama."

"Would a being knowledgeable in the ways of sorcery be able to use it to become immortal?"

The kitsune looked startled at that question and frowned, his nervousness jumping. "No," he said slowly, "true immortality cannot be granted by any spell, Sesshoumaru-sama. Did someone tell you such could be done?"

The daiyoukai cocked a brow. "No. Could you use your sorcery to raise _yourself_ from the dead?"

"Again, no," he said. "A sorcerer could use a spell to call someone else back, but not himself. It would be difficult to perform the spell if you were already dead, honorable Sama."

Silence fell in the little clearing for a moment, then Sesshoumaru turned and headed out. "You will not die today, kitsune."

Kijutsu just stared after the daiyoukai, completely unable to decide what to make of that visit – or the questions he'd been asked.

_Odd, _he thought, but then shrugged, breathing a great deal easier now that such a threatening presence was gone from his home.

_Oh, well... I'm just glad to be alive. None of my business what he was after._

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru had come to the conclusion that he needed to speak to his brother and his companions. Only they, after all, knew all of what had happened on the spider hunt, and what other things might have happened during it that might add to the puzzle that was nowhere near finished.

Much as he disliked the idea of having to deal on such a close basis with his hot-headed brother, he was not willing to forget his all-consuming obsession with discovering everything there was to know about Kagome Higurashi.

For the first time in his long life, Sesshoumaru was interested enough in another being that he actually desired to be able to see into her very mind. He frowned as this thought crossed his own mind, followed by the memory of Bokuseno's words – had this, then, been what the old tree had been speaking of?

"_I have known you for centuries, Sesshoumaru, and never have you cared for anything that did not directly affect you."_

A slight, self-mocking smile touched his lips, then, and he had to admit that the old tree was correct. He never had cared for anything that did not directly affect himself... or anything beyond his quest for Supreme Conquest. But for all the centuries that he had wandered and sought out the most powerful youkai still in existence, he had yet to be defeated – and he already stood at the pinnacle of power.

There were no other youkai still out there stronger than he – and that left a rather large hole in his life to fill. Frankly, before Kagome had caught his attention, he had been bored.

Boredom, to a being that was as close to immortal as possible, was the absolute worst thing to be exposed to. Some youkai actually lost their will to live over such things – and Sesshoumaru had no intentions of being one of them.

Jaded, full of ennui or not, he would live – by finding something worth turning his most formidable intellect loose on. And he had.

So far, he had not been disappointed by the depth of the mystery surrounding her, and if the truth were known, the more he learned, the less it seemed he could say he _knew_. Because of that, this little, seemingly uncomplicated onna had pulled him into her, something that no female had ever been able to do before her.

As he'd admitted to himself earlier, he was obsessed.

For one such as him to be so, was, in and of itself, a dangerous thing.

When a being such as he became so entirely focused on one thing, they began to see it as something exclusive to themselves – in other words, he had long ago begun to think of the dark-haired woman-child as his possession. His.

He hadn't realized it until now, but that made the realization no less true, no less valid.

And that would definitely mean that he and his hard-headed brother would end up clashing again. This time, even more aggressively than they ever had over Tessaiga, he was certain.

Absently, he reached up an idle hand and stroked his pelt, the fleeting thought that he would stroke the girl's hair in just the same way flashing through the depths of his mind and disappearing, without ever rippling the placid surface at the front.

In his subconscious a certain ideal had been reached, and a desire had been born.

But it was still new... and his conscious mind was fully unaware of the true depths of his obsession.

That innocence, however, was not destined to last very long. For very soon his conscious knowledge and his subconscious desire would clash and mold into one...

And then the heavens help anyone who would think to stand between he and the fulfillment of that desire.

~oOo~

"Sesshoumaru-sama! Welcome, my Lord!" came Rin's excited voice, and the daiyoukai eyed his ward, pleased to find her happy and well-cared for.

"Rin," he murmured as she came up to him. "I trust you are content?"

"Oh, hai, my Lord, though I miss you and Master Jaken. But Kaede-sama teaches me many things, and the village keeps me busy, too," she exclaimed cheerfully.

Sesshoumaru acknowledged her words with an inclination of his head, and then addressed the elder miko who had come out of her hut to greet him.

"This one wishes to speak to you – as well as Inuyasha and the slayer and monk," he said politely enough, though Kaede took it exactly as it was meant – a command.

Nodding, the elder miko turned to Rin. "Child, will ye go find Sango-sama and tell her that her presence, as well as her husband's, is required?"

"Oh, yes, Kaede-sama!" the girl exclaimed as she scrambled off, and Kaede smiled as she shook her head, then turned to look at the daiyoukai speculatively.

"Inuyasha will be here in mere moments – he sensed ye, no doubt," she said wryly as she motioned for him to follow her into her modest home. "Please, sit. Would ye care for some tea?"

With an enigmatic glance, Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "That is acceptable," he said shortly.

Eyeing the Lord she knew would get to the point of his visit only when he was ready, she sighed inaudibly and set about preparing a pot of tea. Since he had ordered that his brother and friends be present, she figured it had to be something of importance – he never subjected himself to his brother's presence more than was necessary.

It was, however, a very welcome change from the way things were before – the two of them bound and determined to kill each other.

Kaede glanced at her doorway as the matting crashed back and an impatient hanyou burst into the room. "Yes, Inuyasha?" she asked blandly, noting with interest that the daiyoukai did not even turn to look at his brother.

"Oi, Sesshoumaru, what'r'ya doin' here? Isn't it a little early for your Rin visit?" Inuyasha stepped over to Kaede's side and sank down, folding his hands into his haori sleeves and eyeing his brother narrowly.

After a few moments of silence, Sesshoumaru deigned to answer his brother's still uncouth speech. "This visit is not about Rin. Once the slayer and monk arrive, I will enlighten you as to the reason for my presence."

The silence that fell in the room, then, was neutral, and Kaede was well aware that was due to Sesshoumaru himself. He was projecting a non-combative aura, which helped to keep the rather excitable Inuyasha calm enough. She found she was grateful for that – she had no desire to lose her home to a battle between siblings.

She was more pleased when Sango and Miroku arrived, stepping into the hut with slightly wary expressions, obviously wondering why the dangerous Lord was requesting their presence.

"Kaede-sama?" Miroku questioned as he settled next to his wife, leaning his shakujo against the wall behind him.

"Now that ye are all gathered, who wants tea?" she asked calmly, and with increasingly mystified looks, the spouses nodded in acceptance while Inuyasha snorted a no. She filled the requested cups, passing Sesshoumaru his first, then pouring the rest out. Once done with her simple task, she picked up her own tea and sipped it, then set the cup down.

With a placid smile, she nodded at Sesshoumaru. "We are listening, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru sipped his tea for several long moments, then also set his cup down. In a contemplative tone of voice, he let them all in on the topic he was interested in.

"Higurashi, Kagome... this one wishes to hear everything each of you know about her."

To say that the group in the hut were all stunned would be an understatement. There was a shocked silence for some time, broken eventually by Inuyasha's irate stuttering. The first to break the surprise and be coherent about it was Miroku.

"That is... a rather large request, Sesshoumaru-sama. May I ask why you are so interested in a human miko?"

With a cocked brow, Sesshoumaru considered the monk. "Tell me, how is it that as her companions of so long, ones that claim to know so much about her, no less, still insist that she is human – and a miko?" he asked blandly.

Now the group was so taken aback that even Inuyasha was completely silent, unable to find his voice. Sesshoumaru waited patiently enough, knowing that sooner or later someone would find their way through their shock and answer.

Finally Kaede shook off her stunned daze, and brow furrowed, asked, "What do ye mean, Sesshoumaru-sama? Do ye believe for some reason that Kagome is _not_ human?"

"Do humans typically live forever, then? Would you have me believe that your race has suddenly become immortal?"

Miroku shook his head and sighed. "Perhaps if you elaborated, Sesshoumaru-sama, on your meaning?"

Eyes narrowing contemplatively as he became totally focused once more on his favorite topic, he ran idle fingers through silver hair, brushing it back over his shoulder. The group in the hut watched him with hypnotized stares.

"Hn. Enlighten me. What was the reason that the youkai that absorbed the celestial maiden Kaguya gave for wanting to absorb a so-called human miko? Did none of you find that strange? What youkai would wish to swallow a being that could purify them from the inside out? If she were truly a miko... that would have been tantamount to suicide. And yet... that is exactly what Kaguya wanted the girl for."

Inuyasha blinked, then said slowly, "I asked Kagome that, later..." he swallowed hard at the memory of the arrow hitting her, "... you know, why Kaguya had taken her instead of letting her die with that arrow in her back. Kagome told me that the bitch told her it was because she was immune to the effects of time, and Kaguya wanted that ability."

Kaede and Miroku, equally taken aback at Sesshoumaru's words, both pondered on the reason none of them had ever considered that question. What youkai would _absorb_ a miko? That _would_ be deadly to them.

They both came back to the discussion when Sesshoumaru answered Inuyasha's words. "Exactly. And what are the effects of time?" he asked silkily.

"Aging, and eventually, death," came Sango's soft voice.

With a predatory smile, Sesshoumaru pounced on her words. "Exactly," he purred. "And if the girl is immune to the effects of time, that would then mean that she is not going to age and die, correct? So, once again, I ask – _what makes you think that she is human?_"

Every single person in the hut stared at him, mesmerized by his glowing gold eyes.

After a few minutes, Kaede shook off her confused state, and said in a no-nonsense tone, "I would like to know what brought Kagome to your attention in the first place, Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yeah," his brother's brash voice came, suspicion rife within it. "Why would _you_ be curious about Kagome at all – even if she _is_ immune to the effects of time?" he finished sarcastically.

Picking up his cup of tea and taking an unhurried sip, he waited for a few moments, and then asked, "Do you not find the woman a curiosity, as well? There is so much _mystery_ there," he said with an odd kind of relish. "This one did not understand Bokuseno's words at first, when he referred to Kagome as the 'Lotus'... but with a little thought it became apparent. After all, the Lotus represents mystery – and oddly enough, truth."

Inuyasha growled at his brother, not liking his words, expression, or the tone of his voice at all. And he _really_ didn't like his brother's apparent fascination with Kagome, either.

"You went to Bokuseno to ask about K'gome? What the hell? And what could that old bastard even know about her, anyway?"

"As usual, halfbreed, you show your ignorance," Sesshoumaru responded loftily. "Bokuseno is the oldest living thing still in this realm. He knows more than you would expect about your so-called miko – such as the fact that, unlike a true miko, Kagome's power is not borrowed from the kami by right of purity to be used in endeavors that they would deem necessary. Her power is innate – in other words, just as my youki is mine, Kagome's power is hers."

Miroku's eyes widened, and he met Kaede's thoughtful gaze as something occurred to him. "Kaede-sama... Kagome's use of sacred arrows without any real training is easily understood. But some of the other things she did... she was never trained in the spells and chants necessary – yet was able to do things that only a most highly skilled miko should have been able to. How do you explain this?"

"There is also this, monk," Sesshoumaru added, "what miko have you ever witnessed with the amount of power that Kagome wielded so effortlessly once unsealed by my defeat of Magatsuhi?" He turned golden eyes on Kaede. "Could you, yourself, have done what she did to Naraku's corpse?"

Kaede shook her head. "Nay, I have not the power."

"Oi," Inuyasha broke in, "some miko are stronger, and some are weaker. I bet Kikyou would have been able to do that!"

Again, Kaede shook her head, more slowly this time, thoughtfully. "No, Inuyasha, not even Kikyou could have done so. Not even with months of preparation and prayer could she have mustered the sheer power that Kagome herself did in an instant. Remember, Kagome was purifying not just Naraku's huge corpse that literally swirled with shouki, but all that had already fallen on the land around us. With _one arrow_. And she was not just taking on Naraku's power when she did so – but his power, augmented by all the power that the Shikon was able to bring to bear, as well. In effect, she defeated the power of Naraku, and the Shikon jewel, by _herself. Y_e may have all helped destroy his body, but..." she trailed off, and Sango finished with an apologetic look at Inuyasha.

"...it was something that Kikyou couldn't have done. And Kikyou was the most powerful miko around at the time, so if she couldn't even do it... how did Kagome?"

Inuyasha shook his head frustratedly. "Keh! You people are all stupid to be listenin' to this bastard about Kagome. If she isn't human and isn't a miko, how could she be Kikyou's reincarnation?" he growled out.

"She is not a reincarnation," Sesshoumaru said softly. "She is only herself."

At that, Kaede shook her head. "Inuyasha brings up a good point. For that spell of Urasue's to work as it did, taking all of Kagome's soul, she had to carry Kikyou's soul."

An oddly amused smirk tilted the corner of Sesshoumaru's mobile mouth. "Tell me, slayer – when the clay miko finally returned to death, what happened?"

Sango frowned as she thought back to that sad night. They had all been sitting atop a hill, while Inuyasha was holding Kikyou's body lower down the slope so he could have some privacy with her before she passed. "It was beautiful," she murmured. "When she passed, all the souls breaking free lit up the night as they spiraled into the heavens."

"Enlighten this one, miko," he addressed Kaede, "if Kagome was truly your sister's reincarnation, would not the portion of soul supposedly taken from her, be returned to its place within her once Kikyou passed again?"

"Hai," she said. "And..?"

"Did not the slayer just say that every soul your sister's clay shell contained _ascended_? Nothing returned to Kagome – because no part of _Kagome's _soul was actually missing."

Again, a stunned silence filled the hut as everyone there stumbled all over that little tidbit. Sesshoumaru sat back, completely content to watch as they all absorbed the things he was telling them, and tried to reconcile them with what they had always considered was true about the girl.

Inuyasha looked the most dismayed – no doubt by the fact that Kagome did not share the same soul as the woman he'd loved so much. It was apparent that the hanyou had been drawn to her because of that very misconception.

_Take it in, Inuyasha. She is not who you thought. Can you still say that there is nothing to interest me there? I would know who she is. What she is._

He was interested to see that all of the people in the hut with him were beginning to look as though they were waking from a fog – and realizing that they had been extraordinarily blind to reality.

_Perhaps that is the truth of the matter – that they were all... encouraged by some outside force to remain complacent, and not question the status quo? An... interesting idea. It is certainly possible._

After the silence had held for several minutes, Sesshoumaru held out his cup, and waited for the miko to recall herself and pour him some more tea. Watching the tea leaves swirl in the water, he said slowly, "Do you still find it odd that I wish to know more, Inuyasha? Do you remember the question I asked when she removed the Tessaiga from its pedestal inside father's remains?"

Inuyasha frowned for a minute, then his expression cleared. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You asked her, 'What are you?', didn't you?"

The daiyoukai inclined his head.

"And that question still has not been answered. That is why I am here, wanting to know everything you can tell me about the girl. _I want to know what she is._"

~oOo~

Evening came, almost unnoticed by those in the hut save for the children that were now crowding the adults almost from the room. With a sigh Sango looked at Kaede, and said, "As fascinating as all this is, I think it is time to prepare dinner."

Kaede eyed the milling children and then the light coming from outside, and nodded. "Hai. Will you stay, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked lightly.

The big Inu stood smoothly. "I will not, however, I will return after you have eaten your meal. There are other things I wish to ascertain."

"We will wait, then," she said politely, bowing slightly, and he tilted his head in acknowledgment before sweeping from the hut, leaving a rather tense silence behind.

Stopping for a long moment on the edge of the village, he looked up and inhaled deeply, taking in the evening scents of the forest. Then he turned and eyed the still visible path that Kagome had always taken to get to the well from the village.

The fact that, after three years, the path was still open and in good repair suggested frequent use – he was certainly not under any misapprehensions. It would appear that his little brother spent much time at the well.

Eyes narrowing thoughtfully, he began his own trek to it. He had decided earlier in the day that a visit to it would be worthwhile. There was a certain question that he had, that may be able to be answered by a simple visit to the place where she had entered his world – and left it.

_After all, speech is not always necessary – sometimes objects can tell as much of a story as a person can. And in a much more concise fashion, _he thought ruefully, thinking back to the hours long discussion that had already taken place in the village – and the doubtless many more hours that would be required.

A sacrifice on his part, to be sure... but one which he was willing to make.

He stopped on the edge of the clearing that the well sat in, and just stood there for a time gaining a feel for the place, before finally moving to stand at the side of the only man-made structure in the area.

The wood was surprisingly worn yet still strong and healthy, as though it were still part of a living tree, yet he could see where parts had been repaired in the past. He cocked a brow when he put a hand out to touch it, and found it just slightly warmer to the touch than it should be.

Closing his eyes he pushed out his aura gently, wanting to see what the well would do; he was not disappointed – the magic still existed within. The well was still active... so, if Inuyasha was unable to get through, it was undoubtedly Kagome's doing. Whether she consciously realized it or not, _she_ was the reason no one could get through.

He remembered Bokuseno's words.

"_But I will tell you this – it is very possible that she will return to this time again."_

He was inwardly pleased to decide that yes, Bokuseno was probably correct – it looked as though, once she were ready, Kagome would indeed return.

Taking a seat with his back against the well, he drew a leg up and rested his arm over it in his preferred position, and then let his mind wander back to the things that he had learned this day.

He had been intrigued by the events that had occurred just after the clay miko had been resurrected, when his brother and his pack had been drawn into the illusory death vines. All of them had fallen victim to the illusions – all except Kagome. While she had apparently seen some sort of vision, she had, in the end, not been fooled.

According to Inuyasha, Kagome had _never_ fallen victim to any attempt by person or magic to fool her.

_Perhaps she is more the Lotus than even Bokuseno knows – since it also denotes truth. _

The group had all been surprised again when he had asked Kaede about Kagome's odd trick of making her so-called sacred arrow disappear midflight – and then reappear behind whatever barrier was between her and her target. Kaede had never heard of such a thing, and was able to say with certainty that Kikyou had never had benefit of such a skill.

Another surprise had been delivered by Inuyasha, when he'd brought up the chain of events that had occurred during the aftermath of Menomaru's awakening and bid for his clan's power. When Kagome had been flung back down the well and the Tree of Ages had overtaken the well's power, sealing her away from this era, she had fired one of her ubiquitous arrows into the well – and overcome on her own the sheer power of the Tree of Ages... which was no mean feat.

It seemed to Sesshoumaru that Kagome used her power sparingly, giving no real true glimpse to anyone of just how much there truly was of it. Strange. After all, most with power tended to flaunt it. Even he, himself, who wasn't one to indulge in _pointless_ shows of power, used his more than she did. That said something about her... she was comfortable with who she was, and felt no need to try to impress anyone.

He had to admit he liked that.

With a furrowed brow and a small sigh, he took note of his brother's presence nearing the clearing and stood, adjusting his armor and stepping forward to meet the boy.

"Inuyasha," he murmured. "I take it you and your companions have finished your meal?"

"Feh, 'course we have. Doesn't take that long to eat, ya know." He stared at his older brother for a few seconds and then looked away, folding his hands into his sleeves almost defensively. "She's really caught your attention, hasn't she?" he asked, and Sesshoumaru was well aware that it was really a rhetorical question.

Nonetheless, he answered. "She is a puzzle. It... intrigues me." He studied his brother's form for a moment, then looked up at the stars. "This one has very little anymore to hold his attention. She saves me from boredom, to put it bluntly."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he started walking back to the village. Knowing his brother was following, he continued the conversation. "That ain't the only reason, Sesshoumaru, so don't try to hide nothin'. I ain't that stupid, even if you'd like to think I am." He sighed. "Figures you'd go and find the only human that ain't human – if your theory is right, anyway – to get all interested in. But did you really have to go after _my_ Kagome? Couldn't you find some other anomaly to target?"

Sesshoumaru cocked a surprised brow at his brother. "And where did someone like you learn a word like anomaly, Inuyasha?" he asked, his tone lightly disdainful, ignoring every other part of what his sibling had said.

"Oh, forget it, bastard, let's just go finish this big discussion you were so intent on so that you can leave. I don't want my village to start stinkin' like you," he said grouchily.

"Of course not, whelp – then it might actually smell pleasant."

Inuyasha growled and flung back the matting on the door to enter, leaving his brother on the outside. "Whatever, Sesshoumaru. I'd rather sniff an outhouse."

"I am sure you would, Inuyasha," he said dryly, and the hanyou flushed, aware he'd put his foot in that one as the others chuckled.

"Keh!"

Dropping to the floor, he flicked his brother a rude gesture. "Let's get this over with."

~oOo~

Six weeks later, just as summer ushered itself in, Sesshoumaru shifted position in the top of the tree he was lounging in as an alien pulse of energy erupted from the area of Inuyasha's village – and the well that sat on its outskirts.

As the feel of that energy swept over his body, he shivered, and instantly he had launched himself into the air, heading at speed for the well.

It seemed that the wait was over, and the woman who defied everything that Sesshoumaru had ever thought he'd known about her in the beginning had decided it was time to return.

He could deal with that.

Landing in the top of another tree just outside the clearing, he watched as his brother sped into the clearing and came to a halt at the edge of the well. He seemed nervous – _can't he tell she's inside? Even from here I can here her breathing and scent her own nervousness._

He stared, rapt, as Inuyasha pulled her from the depths of the well.

She had changed.

Taller than she had once been, her curves had also become more pronounced. Her face had also undergone a change – whereas when she left she had still looked like the young girl she was, now she looked like an adult. Her eyes... they hadn't changed. They were still the same glowing blue they always had been. If he were to be strictly honest with himself, those eyes of hers had always fascinated him.

They were not a natural eye color for the humans of this land.

But it was her smile that caught his eye this time... it held a deeper knowledge within it – as though she had finally come into her own.

_Very possibly she has._

He scowled to himself as Inuyasha drew her into a hug, holding her softly with a relieved expression on his face. But he did nothing to give away his position, simply watching as her other friends appeared and greeted her excitedly. He realized that he was not quite ready to confront her – instead, he decided to watch her for a time, first.

Keeping his aura and scent shielded, he trailed them as they all moved back to the village, listening as the slayer chattered a mile a minute at the young woman. He was a bit surprised that Kagome herself was so quiet – she simply listened and smiled, apparently taking in the friends she hadn't seen in so long.

She seemed to sense something off, though, once in a while sending rather searching glances into the trees around her, and he wondered if she somehow sensed him. He wouldn't be surprised if she did.

The thought pleased him.

Settling in for a long evening of standing silent sentinel over the celebration of her return, he made sure to hover close enough to the elder miko's hut to be able to listen to the conversation. He was nearly certain that one of her friends would bring up his visit – and his interest in her – to warn her. It was no odds that no matter who brought it up first, Inuyasha would be the one to throw the biggest fit.

Not something Sesshoumaru wanted to miss – he greatly enjoyed his brother's discomfiture.

But he was _most_ interested in hearing her reaction to the situation.

~oOo~

Kagome was getting a bit tired, truth be told – as lovely as it was to see her friends again and be surrounded by the clean, sweet-smelling air and beautiful landscape she'd missed so much, it had been a long day for her, and her energy was winding down.

All she wanted now was a bit of peace and quiet, maybe a nice walk in the woods. That would use up the last of her energy, and then she'd be able to sleep better than she had since the last time she'd been here.

Fidgeting slightly, not wanting to offend anyone with her wish to leave the hut, she glanced around and caught Inuyasha's eyes on her. Flushing a bit, she looked down at her lap, and only smiled when she heard Inuyasha's voice making their excuses. She looked up after a moment to find his hand in front of her face, and with no hesitation, she took it.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he pulled her to her feet, and then gestured for her to precede him from the hut.

"Keh. Just a little walk, woman, that's what you wanted, right?"

Kagome chuckled as she waved at the rest of the group and stepped outside. "Yeah. You still know me so well, Inuyasha. Even after all this time."

He blushed, folding his hands into his haori nervously. "Feh. It's not that hard when ya got a nose like mine – I can figure out lots about you before ya'd even know it."

"Of course," she murmured, gentle amusement clear in her voice. After a few minutes of easy silence, she spoke again. "So... what's eating you, Inuyasha?"

He flashed a startled glance at her. "I think it's you that knows me too well, wench. You always know when something's up – and you don't even have a nose to blame it on."

She cocked a brow at him and waited, and he sighed.

"Something strange happened a few weeks ago, Kagome, and I don't know what to think about it. But since it's about you... well, you need to know."

Kagome nodded encouragingly, and he continued. "One day out of the blue, Sesshoumaru showed up. I came running, because even though he visits Rin from time to time he has a pretty solid schedule for that, and it wasn't anywhere near time for a visit. When I got to Kaede's, the bastard had requested my presence – like that's _ever_ happened before – and Sango and Miroku's. When they all arrived, we got a shock. Do you know what he wanted?"

A shake of an ebony head, and Inuyasha stopped walking and turned to look her in the face. "He wanted to know everything we knew about you! He's developed some kind of an interest in you, Kagome, and that's not a good thing. Things that Sesshoumaru get interested in usually end up dead at some point. Rin's about the only thing that's survived his interest in his life."

Kagome blinked. "Well, what's he wanting to know?"

"Like I said – everything. Apparently, he's been trying to learn everything about you he could since you've been gone. From what I gathered from him, he's been traveling and puzzling over you for three years, wench. And he's got some really out there ideas about some of the things he's found out... though I have to say, he does make a good case for some of it." He shot her an odd look, and Kagome frowned.

"Like... what?" she asked, almost warily, and the figure hidden in the trees leaned just a little closer, golden eyes gleaming with interest.

"Like the fact that he's positive that you are 'immune to the effects of time'. Recognize that little statement, Kagome?"

She tilted her head and stared at him dubiously. "Sure I do. Kaguya. So, what's the problem?"

He glared at her incredulously. "How can you even ask that? Is it true?"

She shrugged, a bit taken aback at his surprise. "Yeah... wait... you mean to tell me none of you figured that out? I mean, I know we never really talked about it, but..." she trailed off at his growl.

"So you mean to tell me that you aren't gonna get old and die, and you didn't think to tell any of us that?" he yelled.

"Like I said, I didn't really think about it!" she said defensively. "And I'm just as surprised that none of you caught that. I mean, I told you about it afterward, and you never said anything about it, so I just assumed you felt it didn't matter – which is the way I feel about it, too. Obviously, I am what I am, so worrying about it won't change anything."

She seemed exasperated, and Inuyasha was beginning to wonder – if his brother was right about that one... could he be right about the rest of it, too?

"Well, he brought up an interesting point about that. Since humans _aren't_ immune to the effects of time... that leaves you out as part of that species, now doesn't it, Kagome?" he pointed out sarcastically.

At that, she blushed a little and looked away. His eyes narrowed on her.

"He was right to ask you that question so long ago in our father's tomb, wasn't he, Kagome? What are you, really?"

She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself as she started moving forward again. "Does it really matter, Inuyasha? I am what I am, like I just said a moment ago. Like I kept telling Kikyou – and everyone else, incidentally," she said sarcasm strong in her voice, "I am Kagome. That's all."

He stared at her for a few moments, then his shoulders slumped a little and he looked away. "No... it doesn't really matter, to me, anyway. You will always be Kagome in my eyes. But Sesshoumaru... that answer ain't gonna work with that bastard, woman. So what are ya gonna tell him when he comes askin'? 'Cause he will. The guy's seriously obsessed."

He was totally surprised when she giggled. "Wow. Really? I caught that much of his attention? I'm flattered," she said, to Inuyasha's consternation and Sesshoumaru's near shock. Of all her possible reactions, that one had never occurred to him.

_Flattered, is she? Interesting..._

While Inuyasha spluttered, Kagome's thoughts turned to the male under discussion, and she smiled a little. It was so odd – even when he was standing surrounded by others and was forced to speak with people for whatever reason, he still seemed so untouched. It was as though he were above everything else, and, being so much larger than life, life itself couldn't even touch him. It was certain that death could not.

Even the guardians of the underworld bowed to Sesshoumaru.

And that wasn't even talking about how seriously gorgeous he was. She hadn't forgotten one thing about how he looked in the three years she'd been gone. Okay, sure – the guy had tried to kill her a few times, though he'd saved her several times, too, but, come on, she was a normal, red-blooded woman. You would never be able to convince her that _any_ normal, red-blooded woman wouldn't notice Sesshoumaru... anytime he was around. And even when he wasn't.

How could she not be flattered by the interest of such a being?

Despite the few oddities about her, she'd never thought of herself as particularly noticeable. Okay, sure, she wasn't going to age and die. While that was cool with her, it didn't make her better than anyone else. And so she wasn't exactly what you could call human and have it mean the exact same thing as everyone else... but so what? There were a few other things about her that were different – but those things were extraneous to who she was. What mattered wasn't _what_ she was, but _who._

That was why she'd never answered that question when Sesshoumaru had originally asked it.

She still wouldn't if he asked now, either. Flattered or not, she wasn't an object – she was a person, and until he could ask her the right question, he'd be left curious.

Pulled back to her surroundings by Inuyasha impatiently calling her name, she shook herself free of her thoughts. "Yes?"

"I got a question, K'gome," he asked slowly. "If... you knew that we thought you were just a human miko, and you really weren't, why didn't you just tell us what you were? Did you think we'd hate you or something?"

Kagome blinked, startled. "No... that actually never occurred to me."

Her brow furrowed as she thought about it.

"Okay, let me see if I can explain it. At the time I came through the well, I hadn't really realized the differences between me and other people. If you've noticed, most of them aren't visible differences," she said dryly. "I always _sorta_ knew, but it was way in the back of my mind, buried deep – because it really wasn't important. And I was so young, too. Only fifteen. You've seen my world – because it's such a complicated world, a person isn't considered an adult until eighteen. Here it's different, I know – but I wasn't raised here, so I wasn't as mature in some ways as someone raised here would have been. My conscious mind just wasn't ready to deal with my differences... so I just didn't think about it. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha thought about her words, and, having experienced her world for himself, had to agree – he could understand what she was saying. Still... "What other secrets do you have, Kagome?" he asked softly.

She shrugged. "I dunno... my mind will open things up to me as I become ready. In the meantime I don't worry about it." She shook her head and smiled at his wary look. "Don't worry, Inuyasha – I'm not going to turn into some weird sort of creature. I'll always be just Kagome. I mean, did you become someone else as you grew into your hanyou strengths?"

He had to admit she was right about that, and somewhat eased, he smiled back at her and let out a rather relieved breath. "So... what now? Why _did_ you come back, anyway, Kagome?"

"That's an easy answer," she said cheerfully. "One, this is where I'm supposed to be. And two – I like it better here, anyway!"

Up in the treetops, Sesshoumaru eyed the young woman speculatively through the darkening gloam. While he was frustrated at the lack of answer to his eternal question about her, he _had_ gained some valuable insights into her. He watched as the two friends walked peaceably back to the old miko's hut, and then turned and made his way to his favorite spot to spend the rest of the night thinking over the things he'd heard.

And despite the things he'd learned of her this night, she was still ever the Lotus to him.

That had not changed – and he was beginning to think it never would.

~oOo~

A/N: Welcome to my new Sess/Kag, everyone. I'm truly not sure where I'm going with it, or even how long it will be, but its really an exploration for me of some of the very large gaps in reasoning that became obvious to me in Rumiko's story. As you can see from the above chapter, a strong case can be made for Kagome not being quite what she was portrayed to be. As things occurred to me, I started this story, asking those very questions that came to me about Kagome. At any rate, I hope this piece does at least one thing... I hope it makes the readers also question exactly what Kagome is.

Just a warning – this one will most likely move slowly.

Amber


	2. Chapter 2

~oOo~

Several days passed in that manner – Kagome slowly fitting herself back into village life, and Sesshoumaru hovering as close as he could without being noticed, watching.

Kagome knew he was around, somewhere. But she was perfectly content with waiting for him to decide to approach her – after all, it wasn't like she was going anywhere.

A slow smile stretched her lips as she thought about the daiyoukai she'd somehow managed to catch the attention of. What was it about Sesshoumaru? Beyond the obvious answer of his legendary attractiveness, of course. Even before, during the shard and Naraku hunt, when she'd been crushing on Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru had had a knack for drawing her attention. She could be totally focused on the hanyou, but the moment the big inu would show up, her eyes would immediately be pinned to him.

And she'd never even thought to be bothered by that fact.

She shook her head, amused with herself as she admitted the reason _behind_ the reasons she'd given Inuyasha for her return. When it came down to it, she'd come back more to be around Sesshoumaru than anything else. Even if it was infrequently.

Because the bottom line was that she couldn't stay away.

Even with that realization, though, she'd not been expecting him to have developed an interest in _her_. She'd fully expected to stand on the outskirts of the daiyoukai's life like a beggar looking in. She'd even been – sort of – okay with that. But now it looked like she might have at least a foot in the door, even if it was just as a rather interesting curiosity. At the very least, it meant being a part of his life, in a small way, undoubtedly – yet it was better than nothing.

With a roll of her eyes, she acknowledged just how pathetic her reasoning sounded – but she couldn't bring herself to truly care, and so, would go right on interesting Sesshoumaru as much as possible quite cheerfully. She wondered idly what the stoic, untouchable daiyoukai would think if he knew just what she truly thought of him.

Knew of the rather large and overwhelming crush she had on him.

_He'd probably flay me alive with his acid whip,_ she thought ruefully, _for daring to sully his perfection, even within the confines of my own mind. _

With a shake of her head, she cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts, and went about this morning's business – which consisted of gathering certain healing herbs that Kaede had trouble getting to in her old age.

And all the while, she ignored her singing senses that were telling her that the daiyoukai she coveted was much, much closer than she had thought.

~oOo~

A blur of white light, a glowing green poison flowing outward from a raised palm, and Kagome gained her first sight of Sesshoumaru since she'd returned to the Sengoku Jidai.

She'd been out for a nature walk this time, and a feral ookami youkai had attacked. Sesshoumaru had intervened very quickly, and as the ookami melted into a puddle of poison-covered goo, he turned to eye her speculatively, taking in her more mature appearance. _Hmm..._

After several moments of that silent stare-down, he spoke – and Kagome's knees almost gave out.

"Tell me, Kagome... why is it you do not bring your power to bear to save yourself unless it is absolutely necessary? You seem to prefer having others save you."

Kagome huffed in annoyance at that and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him almost belligerently. "Who said I wasn't going to save myself? You didn't give me a chance, since you just jumped in all gung-ho and all!"

Both brows rose into his bangs; she assumed it was the gung-ho thing – that wasn't a normal saying in this time.

"Perhaps. But in the past?" he asked leadingly, ignoring the word he didn't understand with a sort of grand indifference.

She shrugged. "I suppose my psyche wasn't ready for my friends to know about my differences. And if I had all of a sudden showed certain skills that I shouldn't have had... well, everyone would have started to wonder. It was just easier to leave things as they were."

"Hn." He narrowed his eyes on her, and she wondered what was going through his mind as shifting expressions flashed through honeyed gold. "You are quite the mystery, onna. I find I have many questions that only you can answer."

He blinked as Kagome's eyes were suddenly laughing up at him. "But, Sesshoumaru-sama, if I give you all the answers today, then there will be nothing left to distract you from raging boredom tomorrow – unless you intend to seek to be the most powerful again."

"This one is already the most powerful – I now seek a different form of power," he said sternly. "And I did not say that I wanted to know everything about you today. I simply informed you that I had questions – and that you had the answers."

Kagome frowned at him. "And just what form of power are you looking for now?" she asked suspiciously, a wary expression lighting her eyes.

He flicked a drop of leftover poison from his claws with elegant precision, and then stepped indifferently around the still-melting carcass on the ground. He didn't stop moving until he was practically looming over her.

With a predatory smile, all teeth and gleaming fangs, he said, "Knowledge."

"Oh," she blinked, taken aback by that answer. _Knowledge? I guess I should have known, considering what he just said about having questions, and me having answers. And they do say knowledge is power._

"Well, good luck with that," she said cheerfully as she made a move to step around him. "I should get back to the village before they send out a search party."

Sesshoumaru did not move an inch, simply watching as she did her best to scoot past him. His smirk widened, now resembling nothing so much as a shark's wide, hungry grin. "I will accompany you," he said smoothly – as though he weren't looking like he was about to go on the hunt and rip some poor fool's still-beating heart out.

"Uh... is that really a good idea? I mean, with you looking all predatory like that, and Inuyasha and all... I don't want to see any fighting between you two."

A fine black brow quirked, even as he stared at her with his once again trademark blank face, though she was almost positive that somewhere inside, he was laughing at her. "I give you my word – I will not start any fights. However, if he attacks, I will defend myself."

Kagome eyed him dubiously. "Are you _sure_ you won't try to antagonize him into attacking?"

"There is no cause for concern. This one has not fought with Inuyasha since the battle inside Naraku, when he was controlled by Magatsuhi." His expression just dared her to question him further, and with an inward sigh, Kagome began walking back towards the village, her escort stepping along confidently beside her.

Kagome reached up a hand to tuck a stray lock of ebony behind her ear, the breeze flirting with the strands, blowing them gently to mingle with the silver of Sesshoumaru's, and she blushed just a bit. _Lucky hair, being able to touch his. I've always wanted to run my fingers through it._

"I'm glad to know that. I always hated seeing you two fight, you know. I know you both had your reasons, but..." she trailed off, her mind going to her own brother. "I can't imagine hating a member of my own family," she finally said, quietly.

"Hatred is, perhaps, a strong word for my thoughts on Inuyasha," he allowed, and Kagome flashed him a startled glance... that soon mellowed into one of understanding. He had, in truth, begun to change his attitude towards his brother before the final battle with Naraku.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that, I won't deny it," she smiled. "By the way... why _are_ you here, anyway? I mean, following me into the village," she qualified at his raised brow. "Is it time for you to visit with Rin?"

"I have decided that Rin is not the only thing in this village that is of interest, Kagome. And after all," he said with a sidelong glance in her direction, "I still have many questions about you. Did you think I would forget?"

She sighed and shook her head. "And what will you do when some of those questions aren't answered, then? Kill me?"

"I was under the impression that killing you would be a wasted effort, since you will not stay dead, in any case, correct?" he asked, rather dryly.

Kagome's eyes slid away from his and an innocent look settled on her little pixie face. "Whatever gave you that idea, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked lightly.

"Several things, actually. From my poison in my father's tomb, to an arrow in the back at Kaguya's manipulation, Kikyou's resurrection, Mukotsu's poison... there are many to choose from, _miko_," he said mockingly. "Though we both know you are not really miko, do we not?"

"Hey!" she flushed hotly. "Mukotsu really did poison me and the others, and Myoga saved us!" She looked shifty for a moment, and he watched her, fascinated. "And as for the miko thing... well, it was as good a name to be called as any other, don't you think? And more fitting than someone trying to call me a youkai."

"Why did you need to hide your true nature in the first place, Ka-go-me?"

"Well, in this world, if you have power, you are miko, youkai, or a witch, ne? So... to be a witch requires magical knowledge, which I do not have. And I couldn't pass for youkai... but what power I do possess, resembles reiki well enough that I could pass for a girl with reiki who had never been trained – as I did for the entire time I was here. No one ever even thought to question it-" she shot him a dry look, "-until you, anyway."

He looked thoughtful as he considered her words. It was true – people feared what they didn't understand, and in this time, people knew of only those three sources of power. Unless, of course, you were a god. But anything else... she would have been feared and reviled, rendering it extremely difficult for her to continue on her quest. His brow furrowed, then, as a new thought crossed his mind.

"Tell me... why did you come here to begin with? You cannot tell me that, at least on some level, you weren't aware of the fact that you carried the Shikon no Tama. So why did you allow yourself to be brought here?"

"Allow? Mistress Centipede pulled me here, I didn't _allow_ anything," she corrected primly.

His eyes went cold. "Do not play your games with me, Kagome. The innocent human excuse did not hold up to my scrutiny."

They were now reaching the outskirts of the village, and Kagome could feel Inuyasha's aura on an intercept course. Not wanting to cause any more of an uproar than was already likely from her friend's protectiveness when it came to her, and his hotheaded nature when it came to his brother, she sighed, then answered.

"The Shikon no Tama had to come back here. It was placed inside me for that reason. At any rate," she said, "what needed to happen, happened. That's all that counts."

"So you are a catalyst. You brought the Jewel back, and you released Inuyasha. And that is what brought Naraku out of the woodwork, allowing all the things that happened to play out." He looked intrigued. "Tell me... if you had not come back, and Naraku had lived to your time, would you have fought him there?"

Kagome's eyes went wide as she thought about that, and Inuyasha also came to a surprised halt at hearing his brother's words, whatever antagonistic things he'd been about to say arrested before he could even start. He exchanged glances with her.

"Keh! That would have been a disaster!"

Nodding, Kagome agreed whole-heartedly. "In my time, youkai, hanyou, and the Shikon no Tama are considered myths. No one even believes in them anymore, and while there are miko, they have no power. So if Naraku were to suddenly appear and take the jewel, there would be no one but me to oppose him – he'd have taken over my world."

"There will always be youkai, Kagome," Sesshoumaru scoffed, "even if you are not aware of them. In your world, with humans so prevalent, it is most likely that we merely hide in plain sight. Nonetheless, your point is well-taken – which is very likely at least a part of the reason that the Kami saw fit to create you, as you said."

Kagome blinked, then looked at Inuyasha blankly, who stared just as blankly back.

"I never thought of that," she said. Then her face cleared of its confusion, and she shrugged. "Not that it really matters, I suppose. As long as the goals of the kami were achieved, I'm not going to worry about it." She turned and continued walking to Kaede's, still carrying the basket full of herbs for the elder miko she was so fond of.

Sesshoumaru watched her walk away for a moment before following her. It was simply baffling to him, that the woman didn't seem to really care what she was. She just seemed content to wander through life, accepting things as they came.

Now, he was quite well able to do the same sort of thing... in certain circumstances. But when it came to his own identity? No... in that matter, he would always want answers. How could she know _who _she was, if she didn't know _what _she was?

Or did she? She'd never said that she _didn't_ know what she was. Perhaps, in the end, he thought exasperatedly, she truly was a human – but a specially created one. One that was able to do and be things that weren't normally possible for humans, because the kami had special tasks for her.

The thought was frustrating, however, for him. Because with the role the kami seemed to have played in the creation of the girl, it was likely that a portion, at least, of his curiosity would go unfulfilled. It wasn't like he could ascend to the realms of the gods, and demand answers of them, much as he might wish he could.

_Human, or not? _

He wasn't aware that he'd spoken aloud, until Kagome looked back at him, a mystified look on her face. "Why does it matter so much? I am what you see. People miss so much, sometimes, because of their need to categorize everything. Some things just aren't meant to be known. I exist, Sesshoumaru, I breathe and eat and sleep just as you do. I am alive. Can't you just leave it at that?"

"Why are you so content to leave it at that?" he countered, stepping forward to hold back the matting for her as Inuyasha's attention was diverted by someone calling his name. Kagome paid no attention as he took off without a word, and Sesshoumaru wondered about that, too. At one time, the two had been inseparable – he'd once accused his brother of keeping her around as a mate.

Apparently, that had changed; though he could not deny that he was pleased that it was so, he still wondered about it.

His attention was pulled back to her as she spoke. "Because I'm comfortable in my skin. I know who I am, so the rest of it's no big deal." She smiled over at Kaede as she knelt next to her, setting the basket of herbs down at the miko's feet. "I got all the ones you needed, Kaede-baa-chan. Was there any other errand that you needed me for?"

Kaede glanced at the daiyoukai once again taking up so much of her hut with his sheer overwhelming presence, and shook her head. Turning her eyes back on the young woman, she said, "I think ye would be better served spending the time setting Sesshoumaru-sama's mind at ease. He has many questions about ye – and I daresay he will continue to come around until ye have answered them all to his satisfaction."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Actually, all his questions boil down to that stupid one he keeps asking – he wants to know what I am. But that's not the important thing. The important thing is _who_ I am. And if he wants to know that, then the only thing he can do is to get to know me, which, since I am so far beneath him, probably won't be happening. In fact," she said, eyeing his now displeased countenance, "I think that's why he wants to know what I am – because that can be answered in a few words, where knowing _who_ I am is a much more involved prospect. If I told him what I am, then he could turn around and leave, curiosity satisfied. That's too easy."

The daiyoukai stared down at her with narrowed, angry eyes, then sat down slowly before speaking. "Is that a challenge, woman?"

"Take it whatever way you want it." She shrugged gracefully. "But I will tell you this. I won't just give you the answer you're looking for. If you want to know what I am, then you'll have to first learn who I am."

He continued to stare at her, something dangerous burning behind his gold eyes for several long moments.

Then he said, "I accept your challenge, Kagome. I will learn who you are."

And Kagome knew that nothing would ever be the same again.

~oOo~

Those words were the beginning of the strangest relationship the group, indeed, the village, had ever seen. It wasn't quite a courtship, not was it strictly friendship. There were elements of both within, though it seemed neither of the participants cared.

If asked, both responded with, "It is whatever it is."

While that seemed to satisfy the two of them, the others weren't so sanguine – especially Inuyasha.

He simply couldn't understand what the hell was going on with his bastard of a brother, and his best friend. It made absolutely no sense. Sure, Kagome was not what they'd all originally thought, but that really made no difference to him – she was still Kagome. And Kagome was soft-hearted, caring, and loving – all things Sesshoumaru was not. Sesshoumaru was quite simply a bastard in every aspect – though not quite so murderous as he once had been.

He knew his brother had always been a curious dog – after all, it was a besetting sin of Inuyoukai. It was that curiosity that had first attracted his attention to Kikyou. But what he was seeing went past curiosity. Despite the fact that Kagome didn't seem to be truly aware of it, when his brother looked at her, there was desire in his gaze. Covetousness... and possessiveness.

It was apparent to him, at least, that Sesshoumaru's focus wasn't the same as it once had been – or at least, not entirely.

But Kagome wasn't an object to desire, and then, once obtained, use, before tossing her aside. And that's what had Inuyasha's instincts in an uproar. Because he was positive that would be the outcome if Kagome ever gave into the daiyoukai.

Used, then tossed aside. Because it wasn't like Sesshoumaru hadn't had many females before – and they'd all gone the same way.

He really, really, wished he had a way to separate the two...

Kagome had decided to take a break and go back through the well for the day to spend some time with her mother, and also do some shopping. When she brought it up to Inuyasha and the others, she found herself the object of several gape-jawed stares.

"Uh, Kagome... we all thought you couldn't go back through the well," Inuyasha finally said, the others all nodding in agreement.

She stared back at them blankly. "Whatever gave you that idea?" she asked, ignoring the sudden presence of the demon lord behind her.

"Well," Inuyasha cast his brother a sour look, "we thought you needed the tama to go through the well. I mean, that time I pushed you back through the well and tried to seal it, you couldn't get through until Shippo went into it with the shards."

"Oh. Well, I guess I can understand how you'd have thought that. At that time, I hadn't really realized how to use the well, and the tama gave me an alternative power source to open it. But I didn't have a shard when I came through this time, ne?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed on her at that. "If that is the case, then why did you wait three years before coming back?" he asked, noting the nods from the others.

Her gaze slid sideways to stare at him out of the corner of her eye, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't ready. I needed to finish growing in my world, and complete all my tasks. In order to honor my family, I needed to keep my attention strictly on that life – so coming back had to wait 'til I was done there."

There was a ringing silence, and she shifted, a bit uncomfortable at everyone's eyes being plastered to her. After a few moments, she sighed.

"Oh, for kami's sakes, what is it with you guys? It's not like I hadn't gone through the well many times over the months we were after Naraku – why is it so different now?"

At that, her friends all looked a bit sheepish... but Sesshoumaru's steady gaze didn't change at all. "Tell me, Kagome... would Inuyasha still be able to traverse the well, as he used to do in the past?" he asked.

She turned her head and eyed him warily for a moment, her eyes narrowing, but nodded slowly. "Why wouldn't he be able to?"

Inuyasha perked up at that – he'd had a fondness for her family, and it had hurt that he wouldn't be able to see them again. Apparently, however, he could – and anytime he chose to do so.

Sesshoumaru noticed his brother's reaction, but didn't turn his gaze from Kagome. "So I was correct in my supposition, then – you control the well. One wonders when you figured out that it was yours to command," he murmured.

Kagome shrugged, expression casual. "I figured it out while I was gone for those three years. It didn't take long for me to realize that my fate lay here, and then I knew that when I was ready, I would be able to come back."

"Hn." He tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. "I would greatly enjoy it were you to show me your world, Kagome." At her sudden wary surprise, sly, mocking amusement crossed his face. "After all, if I am to learn who you are, as you say, I need to see the world that you came from – and the people in it, because a great deal of who you are harks back to your formative years on that side of the well."

Her eyes narrowed with irritation – he had her there, and he knew it. He was right, and she couldn't expect him to learn who she was without him being able to see her family, and the world she'd grown up in.

The hanyou picked that moment to break in. "No way! Kagome, don't do anything crazy like taking him to your world! That's just askin' for trouble, and you know it," he growled.

Sesshoumaru's gaze shifted to his brother, a dangerous light entering his golden eyes. "I am not so much a fool as to cause any havoc in her world, thereby not being allowed to visit it again, Inuyasha," he said scathingly as his brother blushed. "I have many questions about Kagome – and not all of them can be answered here."

Hearing his words, Kagome new then that he could be trusted to go to her world without problems, as he was correct – he wasn't likely to mess up his chance, knowing that he would then never be given another one. He was immeasurably curious, and he would not do anything that would interfere with him gaining the answers he wanted.

"Fine. But there are some rules – nothing there is anything like it is _here. _If you don't see me reacting with panic to something, then leave it alone, however dangerous it might appear."

He tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment, even while his brother cursed under his breath and shot him a dirty look.

"Well, come on then," she sighed, shaking her head as she stood up, "let's get going. You, too, Inuyasha – Mama and Sota will be happy to see you, and don't worry, mama took away grandpa's sutra and hid them."

Sesshoumaru's brow shot up in amused surprise. "Sutra?" he asked slyly. "Do tell, Kagome. I am most interested to hear what he has done to have earned them being taken away."

"Keh! Ain't none of your business," the hanyou shot back, stomping from the hut and sulkily waiting for the two of them. "Though it woulda been funny to see the old man plastering the bastard here with all those damn pesky sticky pieces of paper," he snorted, glaring at his brother.

Kagome rolled her eyes, but snickered inwardly. It _would _be kinda funny to see such a thing – as long as she could keep Sesshoumaru from killing her grandfather afterwords, of course. Shaking her head at such thoughts, she turned and led the way to the well, ignoring Inuyasha's sniping, and Sesshoumaru's cold replies.

They were just about to the well, when a disturbance caught Kagome's attention – a meidou was forming right in front of her, and reacting instantly, she opened one of her own at the same time, so whatever youkai was coming through, simply found itself back in another meidou - minus victims. Closing it behind the youkai, she shook her head.

"Damn... that was _too _close," she muttered. Glancing back at the two that were staring at her with fascination and suspicion, she narrowed her eyes at Sesshoumaru. "He was probably after you, wanting to fight such an _obviously_ powerful youkai," she said, tone layered with sarcasm.

Inuyasha was sputtering, shocked out of his mind. How the hell had she done that? He was the one that had the meidou... in Tessaiga. She'd just done it on her own...

Sesshoumaru watched as she eyeballed him, then said, "See? I do defend myself sometimes – you didn't even have to lift a royal finger."

Expression deliberately blank, Sesshoumaru considered what had just happened, and then... "Tell me, Kagome. What use was sending that youkai back into a meidou that he can just re-open once more and attack from again?"

She blinked at him, startled. "Uhh, Sesshoumaru, that's not how the meidou works... didn't you know that? He opened his portal up, and came out of it, and then I opened one, and he went right into it. But the meidou doesn't open in the same place all the time – he'll probably spend the next several thousand years trying to find the right passage back here."

Narrowed eyes pinned her, and she just knew that he had gone and come up with a whole bunch more questions. She groaned inwardly. _I am beginning to think Inuyasha was right – I'm not going to survive his interest. _With a sigh, she held up a hand just as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't, Sesshoumaru. If you start now, I'll never get home for that visit with my mother." Eyeing Inuyasha's still shocked expression, she shook her head, and said, "Let's go. I'd like to get there today sometime."

Kagome had been quite correct in her supposition – her actions had, indeed, opened up a can of worms, as far as he was concerned. That whole encounter, lasting all of ten seconds, was strange enough, but the thing that had caught his attention the most was the power surge from Kagome – or rather, the lack of one.

She had opened a meidou, and he had been unable to detect any surge in power from her. She could hardly expect him not to have questions about her actions. But he could wait until they reached her home, he decided magnanimously. Once there, she might relax and be more forthcoming.

And then, there was always her family to pump for information, as well.

Sesshoumaru nodded to himself, pleased with the addition of several new people to seek answers from.

Oh, yes, he would most certainly be questioning her family.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru had pretty much kept to himself after first arriving on her side of the well, being polite enough to not interrupt the family's reunion with Inuyasha, who was apparently very well loved by Kagome's family. Even the elderly male – though he grumbled and glared, it was half-hearted, at best, and not how he really felt about things, it was obvious.

Finally, after the group had reacquainted itself with his brother, the younger human boy, Sota, dragged Inuyasha off to play some sort of game, leaving the two adult members of the family, and he and Kagome, alone.

He silently evaluated them both, and it appeared that the best one to talk to would be Kagome's 'mother'. At this point, that word was a subjective one – he was not sure that Kagome had been 'born' in the strictest sense of the word, since she also may have been _created_. Then again... as he considered her, she met his gaze unflinchingly, and he had to admit – there were several similarities between the two women, so it was by no means certain that she _wasn't_ Kagome's mother.

Blinking his eyes to relieve the burning feeling the air here caused, he waited for introductions, a bit amused to see the older woman nudge Kagome, and whisper a reminder of her manners.

Kagome flushed a little – she'd been so busy watching him watching everyone else, she'd forgotten to introduce them all.

"Sorry about that. Mama, grandpa, this is Inuyasha's older half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru of the Western Lands." She turned to look at him, and nodded towards her family. "Sesshoumaru, this is my mother, Hitomi, and my grandfather, Hikari," she finished as they all bowed politely to each other.

Hitomi clapped her hands, and then turned briskly to lead the way into the house. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Sesshoumaru. Be welcome in our home," she smiled as she led the way inside, shooting a speaking glare at the elder male as he harrumphed. "Grandfather, behave. I expect you to treat our guest as you would any other."

Tilting his head, Sesshoumaru was interested to note Kagome's tiny giggle, and decided that this kind of behavior from the male was common. Perhaps his mind was not all there? One thing that had caught his attention immediately upon realizing that the woman was Kagome's 'mother', was the fact that, while she definitely appeared mature, she did _not_ look old enough to be the mother of a daughter Kagome's age.

It made him also wonder at the elder's age...

He made a mental note to ask Kagome that question at the first available opportunity.

Once inside the house, which was unlike any house that he had ever seen, and quite a bit larger than the huts most lived in in his era, he was led to what appeared to be the cooking area, which was filled with things he'd never seen before, and couldn't imagine the uses of.

Offered a seat at a rather strange table that was high off the floor, with chairs that matched it, he nodded and sat down, feeling a bit awkward with his armor and swords making it difficult to sit.

Kagome noticed and shot him an amused look. "Would you like to take the armor off? We can set it aside for you."

He considered that for a moment. "Indeed." He quickly had both armor and swords off, and Kagome and her mother took them and disappeared into another room for a few seconds, before returning to the kitchen. Kagome sat down across from him, while Hitomi began to prepare tea.

He was fascinated by what he was seeing. Water that came from an odd pipe on command? Fire that came from nowhere with the turn of a dial? What were all these things that Kagome had obviously grown up used to? It occurred to him to question her seeming love of his era, when it was obvious she was used to luxuries that his time could never match.

_True... my era smells sweeter, and the air is not so caustic, but she doesn't seem to be as bothered by all of that as I do. Nor does her family, so that cannot be the reason she returned to live in my era._

Another question. Somehow, he was not surprised.

Within a few minutes, her mother was also sitting at the table, and they were all drinking nice hot tea – that didn't have tea leaves floating in it. The tea had been inside what appeared to be paper bags, with a string tied to it. Hitomi had taken the water off the odd fireplace, and then placed the bags inside three cups, pouring the boiling water over them and allowing them to steep.

After taking a sip, he found that he liked it much better without the bitterness of the leaves themselves floating in the liquid.

Hitomi looked at the formidable male sitting at her table for a moment. He was probably the most gorgeous male she'd ever seen – but her instincts were screaming that he was also the most _dangerous_ male she'd ever seen. Oh, she was sure that it was safe enough to have him here – Kagome would never have allowed him through the well if he presented any danger to her family, or, indeed, the world they lived in. Still...

She couldn't help but wonder... what had brought him here?

"May I ask what it was that drew you here, Lord Sesshoumaru?" she finally asked, and the daiyoukai turned his gaze to meet hers, a steady contemplative look on his face as he once again warmed to his favorite subject.

After a few moments of silence, he set his cup down and steepled his fingers, then spoke. "I have many questions about Kagome. I wish to learn who she is-" he cast an ironic glance at her, "-so that I may then know _what_ she is."

Kagome didn't say a word, just letting her mother handle it – after all, he was here to talk to her family, not her – he could do that at any time.

After a few moments of consideration, Hitomi set her own cup down and nodded at the daiyoukai. "I see." A knowing expression settled upon her face. "And also to see somewhat of the world she came from, if I'm not mistaken."

She sat thinking about it for a few minutes after he nodded that she was correct.

"Traveling around Tokyo as you are would cause havoc, I am certain," she mused thoughtfully, flashing a glance at her daughter. "Is there a way you can remove the pelt, and hide your markings? Your clothing," she gestured at his clothes, and then at her own, "while different, is not completely unknown – people will just think you are wearing traditional clothes. Your markings, however..." she trailed off, and Sesshoumaru tilted his head in acknowledgment.

"I can hide my markings, and leave my pelt here, if you feel that is necessary."

He caught Kagome's surprised look and knew what had caused it. "In my world, it is not necessary to hide who I am, Kagome. But nonetheless, most higher youkai are capable of doing so, should the need arise."

"Oh. Well," she said dubiously, "I suppose I can see that. Although... is there anything you can't do?"

He noted the amused look on her mother's face as he said, "Yes."

Impatiently, Kagome asked, "Well, what is it that you can't do? I'd certainly like to know!"

He stood to follow Hitomi, but paused, and caught Kagome's eye. "This one cannot seem to get a straight answer to the question he has spent over three years asking. What is Kagome Higurashi?"

He followed her mother's silver laughter out of the room even as Kagome cast him an evil glare.

"Funny, Sesshoumaru. Very funny."

~oOo~

Kagome shivered at the thought of taking Sesshoumaru on a tour of her world – she just knew that she'd have half the female population of Tokyo following them around, and that would probably put her in a bad mood.

But it couldn't be helped – he was determined to see what there was to see, and she had tacitly agreed to do this with him. So with that thought in mind, she sighed, and buried her rather pointless jealousy deep. After all, she was used to the fact that there were a lot more beautiful women out there than she herself. It didn't really make any difference that she was about to have every last single one of them thrusting themselves into her face – well, actually, into _his_ face.

It didn't occur to her that, beautiful, or not, Sesshoumaru wasn't likely to be impressed – they were, after all, merely human, and so, beneath him.

With those morose thoughts in mind, she picked out the first thing she came to in her closet, not really paying any attention to it. It just so happened that it was one of her nicer casual outfits – a medium blue blouse, with an ivory cashmere sweater over the top, and a matching skirt that was much more modest than her former school uniform had been. And since she was unaware of the fact that Sesshoumaru already saw her as his, she wasn't prepared for the look of admiration that crossed his face when she stepped downstairs, to find him all ready to leave.

Taken aback, she stared at him, disbelief in her eyes, until she took in how he looked without his markings, and pelt. He was just as gorgeous, but after a moment's reflection, she had to admit she missed his markings. They just screamed 'not human!' And to her, that was as sexy as hell.

Nonetheless, her earlier assumptions about the crowd he would draw was proven correct, as, almost as soon as they hit the streets, they were making waves.

Sesshoumaru _seemed_ to be unaware of the impact he was making, instead, busily looking around at things, and cataloging everything he wished to learn more about. But Kagome wasn't fooled – nothing ever escaped the daiyoukai, and he was fully aware of all the eyes focused on him.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence from Kagome, he flicked a quick, but deadly glare at those closest that were staring, and within seconds, they were gone, some half-forgotten instinct warning them that they were in great danger where they were.

Kagome was pretty surprised at how fast he'd cleared the way, though she knew it wouldn't really matter, since they'd be running into other women all day long.

"Tell me, Kagome – are all females in this world so forward?" he asked, a displeased frown forking his brow as his eyes picked up yet more females eyeing him lasciviously.

"Women in this time are not the same as in yours, Sesshoumaru. We have our own freedom. We aren't the property of brothers and fathers and husbands, and are responsible for our own honor and social respectability." She sighed, annoyed, as yet another woman turned to stare in awe as they passed. "But you have to realize that you are quite beautiful, and I'm not at all surprised that you're drawing a crowd."

"Hn." Choosing to set aside that discussion, he focused on something else that he had wondered about. "Tell me, then – what of your father?"

He watched as Kagome's gaze went far away. After a moment, she said, "He died when I was about eight. Sota was just a baby, himself, and doesn't remember him at all. I'm lucky, I guess - I remember him a little bit. He was a quiet man – very contemplative." She looked down, a small smile on her face. "Rather like you, if the truth were to be told."

_Intriguing..._

"You were close with your father?" he asked, taking in everything around him using every one of his senses.

She sighed and he looked at her – there was something in the sound that gave the impression of pain. "Not as close as I would have liked. He worked a lot... in this world, oftentimes, you have to, to survive – and especially if you have a family." She looked up at him for a moment. "You would be surprised, I think – if we were to bring all your wealth to this time, you would not be worth near as much here as you are in your world."

He quirked a brow, considering all the things he saw around him, and allowed that perhaps she was correct – though she would probably be shocked at just how wealthy he truly was. Still...

"Of what social standing are you and your family?" he asked, curious.

She laughed a bit as that question brought her out of her momentary melancholy. "In this world, it's different, Sesshoumaru," she said, as she took his arm and held him back from crossing the road. "Instead of class lines, it's money that controls your standing. Wealth equals power, here. As for my family, we do well enough for ourselves, the shrine making a steady income. And as shrinekeepers, there is a certain respect given in our society. But we aren't wealthy, by any means."

"So all in your society have access to the luxuries your home boasted?"

Brow furrowed, she looked at him askance. "Luxuries?" she murmured as the light turned green for them to cross, and she stepped off the curb, followed by the daiyoukai. "What luxuries are you talking about?"

"The water that your mother had access to on demand, and the fireplace that she used to heat the water... and the other devices your cooking room contained," he replied.

"Oh, you mean the plumbing and the stove and refrigerator." At his thoughtful glance, she elaborated. "The plumbing – running water in the house – is standard in homes today. As for the stove, what she used to heat the water, all homes have those, too. Of one sort or another. And the refrigerator – that's a cold storage box, basically, for foods – all homes have those, as well. They're all standard fittings in homes today. Not luxuries – _here."_

And with that, his previous question came back to him – why would she leave a world such as this to return to one that was so completely..._ primitive?_

"That begs the question, Kagome – why would you leave this world, for mine? It appears as though things are much easier physically here, than they are in my era."

She nodded thoughtfully. "That's a fair question, I guess. And you haven't even seen the half of what my time has yet." Nose wrinkling a little as she thought about it, Sesshoumaru was interested to note that she didn't have a ready answer for that question. Apparently, she hadn't thought about her reasons for wanting to be in his era, she had just gone with her desires.

He wanted to know what those desires were.

His attention was pulled back to her when she spoke, her voice soft and contemplative. "I suppose... my world, despite the conveniences, is very high stress. Because everything is so expensive, you spend your entire life always running, trying to make enough money to survive. And at first, I didn't know any other way. But then... I fell down a well and met a hanyou," she said, a smile in her voice, "and suddenly, there was another way to do things. Sure, physically, its more work, but for all that, it's a lot less stressful. And... honestly, the people there are more real than they are here. There's so little honor left in this world."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her words, once again looking around, and he decided he could understand – even as little as he knew of it, her world appeared impossibly decadent.

Huge pictures limned the sky, of half nude men and women, signs for products he'd never seen. The women were forward, obviously thinking nothing of pressing themselves on an unknown male, and the men appeared sulky and dissatisfied with their lives.

"Tell me... where are you taking me?" he asked, suddenly wanting to know what she planned to show him of her world.

At that question, she smiled. "To one place that I think will interest you – the library."

He blinked, slanting her a curious look. "You would show me scrolls?"

"Well, they aren't scrolls anymore, they're called books. And yes... all the knowledge in the world is held within books, Sesshoumaru. As far as I'm concerned, libraries are the greatest invention the world has ever come up with," she said, a wide grin settling on her face as she stopped before a huge building and waved her hand. "Welcome to the library, Sesshoumaru."

His eyes went wide as he took in the sheer size of the building they were standing in front of. "This building houses nothing but these... books?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

She nodded. "Yup." She tugged his arm and led him up the steps and towards huge glass doors. "Come on, then, let's go inside."

He followed blindly, eyes taking in everything. He hadn't missed, however, the expression on Kagome's face – this library was apparently a favorite place of hers, and just that one thing told him a great deal about her. She enjoyed the collection of knowledge, and was as curious a person as he was. That fact pleased something within him...

Once inside, he came to a stop in shock at the sight of the seemingly endless display of these books of Kagome's – there were literally millions of them, sitting on shelves that took up the entire huge room.

Kagome couldn't help her amusement at his entranced expression, and knowing what he had to be thinking, she pointed out the stairs. "There's another whole room of books upstairs, as well."

"With the sheer amount of reading material here, Kagome, how would one go about finding a... 'book', in the subject one wanted to learn?"

"Oh, they're filed by subject, and by fiction, or non-fiction," at his expression, she elaborated, "fiction being stories that are made up, like legends, and non-fiction, which is things that are true. For instance, if you wanted to find a book about plumbing, you would look in non-fiction, but if you wanted to read something light for enjoyment only, you would probably choose something from fiction."

He nodded to indicate his understanding, and headed for the huge shelves that seemed to stretch away into the shadowy corners of the cavernous room, intent on further examining these books.

"Is this fic-tion?" he asked, randomly picking a book off a shelf, and Kagome chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, this area downstairs is non-fiction." She pointed to the book he'd picked up. "That book is a discussion of philosophy."

He studied the book, annoyed to find that he couldn't read it. "What is this writing, Kagome?" he asked, irritation plain in his voice.

"The language changes, Sesshoumaru, over time. And so do the written characters. It's the same in your era for me – to me, your writing is archaic, and I can't read much of it. I've picked up some of it from exposure, but..." she trailed off, and then shrugged. "All I really wanted to do was show you this part of my world, because its one of my most favorite parts."

He met her gaze and held it, eyes narrowed. "You enjoy knowledge, and the accumulation of it."

Smiling cheerfully, she nodded. "That's one of the most important things to understand about me, Sesshoumaru. I'm just as curious as you are... and I question _everything."_

His brows rose, and he let her words echo inside his mind. _Touche, Kagome. So... as I question who you are, you wish to also know me._

"When you are done here in your world, I will show you the parts of mine that I find to be important," he said, and Kagome nodded, knowing that he'd understood her actions, and the reasons behind them.

Just as much as he wanted to know about her, she desired to know about him. She was proposing an exchange of knowledge.

He was more than amenable to that proposition.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru sat atop the roof of Kagome's house, contemplating the night sky, and the lights of the city, as she'd called it. He noticed quickly that the night sky here showed far less stars than his time did.

"Tell me, Kagome... why are there so few stars compared to my time?"

Kagome pulled her nightshirt over her head before answering, raising her voice enough so that he could hear her while she dressed for bed.

"It's not that there's less stars in my time. It's just that the lights of the city are so bright, that it drowns out the night sky."

He took that in, thinking that her answer made sense, and it gave him another tidbit about Kagome – she spent so much time in his era staring at the sky, because it was a treat she couldn't attain here in her era.

It came to him suddenly – what she craved that his world gave her. "Peace," he murmured. "My world, even though there are battles and fights aplenty, is more peaceful for an _individual_ than hers is."

Kagome overheard his words as she stuck her head out of her window, then crawled out of it to join him. "That's a big part of it. Life in your world moves at its own steady pace. Here, its rush, rush, rush, and no one stops to notice anything beautiful around them. Not many are blessed as I am to be given a choice of which world I want to belong to... I could only be thankful for that blessing."

He looked at her for a time, once again arranging the things he was learning about her into their proper places within his mind. Kagome Higurashi was a curious person, just as he was, she enjoyed learning new things, and preferred the peace and slower pace of his era, to the frantic, headlong rush of hers.

All of those things were qualities that he could agree with, and were oddly suited to his own personality. Perhaps he and this little woman were more alike than he had ever realized...

That thought didn't bother him as he would once have thought it would. He found nothing to scoff at in her words, or her personality – instead, he found both to be strangely appealing.

"I'm curious about something, Kagome." He tilted his head as she looked over at him, narrowing his eyes inquisitively. "I mean no disrespect in asking, however, it seems to me that your mother is too young to have a child your age."

He waited as she laughed a bit, and shook her head, raven locks brushing against his suddenly heated flesh. "Actually, my mother is almost forty." At his surprised expression, she said, "The healers in my time are very advanced. Things that kill in your world are minor here. And because they've learned so much about the body, and what it needs to stay healthy, people in this time live quite a bit longer. What's the average age at time of death for humans in your world... fifty? My grandfather still takes care of this shrine, and he's almost eighty."

There was no denying that he was stunned at that. First, that her mother looked so young, but was definitely at an age that in his world, she would already look like the elder miko of Inuyasha's village. And that her grandfather was as old as all that, and still spry and apparently, healthy? It was amazing, to say the least.

The humans in her world might be jaded, suffering from ennui and stress, but they definitely had a great deal that was better than anything his world could offer. It was hard to believe that the ignorant humans of his time, had spawned this world, five hundred years notwithstanding.

Still, while that lifespan was definitely much improved from those humans in his world, that was still but a drop in the bucket for one such as him... and the human, that wasn't a human.

"Knowing that you will outlive your family must bother you," he said slowly, watching her expression. He wanted to see how she would react to that.

She pulled her knees closer to her chest and draped her arms over them, tilting her head up to stare into the sky. "Not really. Under normal circumstances, I would most likely outlive my mother and grandfather, anyway, barring unforeseen accidents. And even though my brother is a few years younger, it's possible I could outlive him, as well. The hardest part is going to be looking the way I do know, as Sota ages before me."

He was silent for a time, thinking about that. He supposed he could understand what she was saying – after all, his own younger brother would age and die, while he, himself, continued on unchanging.

"We are like Mt. Fushi," he finally said slowly. "All around us, the world changes, and people come and go like the tides, while we remain. But like the mountain, we change – only it is too slowly for humans to see, and so they think we do not."

Kagome understood exactly what he was saying. "Yeah. We measure our time differently than everyone else, I suppose – in millenia, rather than decades. And so we change with the earth, rather than with the people on it."

He eyed her suspiciously at that – it brought up another question. "Tell me, Kagome – are you truly eighteen years old?" he asked, unable to keep his interest in her answer out of his eyes.

She simply nodded, not even looking over at him. "Yes. Why?"

"Because you seem to have an innate understanding of things that even very few youkai do. It is intriguing."

With a sigh, she sat up and stretched, yawning behind her hand. "I suppose. It probably comes from my rather strange life. But anyway, I'm tired, so I think I'll call it a night. My mother's still downstairs, though, if you wanted to corner her and ask her questions."

With that, she stood up and crawled back in through her window, waiting for him to join her inside before sliding the window closed. He nodded to her as he moved towards her door.

"Goodnight, Kagome."

She watched him close her door behind him, and flicked a lock of hair over her shoulder absently.

_Goodnight, Sesshoumaru._

~oOo~

Hitomi was apparently waiting for him; he stepped into the kitchen, as he'd heard Kagome call it, she gestured to a seat and he sat down, watching as she poured some tea for him. After setting the teapot back on the stove, she sat down and wrapped her hands around her own cup.

"So... you want to know what Kagome is, hm? And let me guess – she didn't like that particular question, and instead wants you to learn who she is?"

Taken slightly aback, still, the indomitable daiyoukai didn't show it, he simply nodded.

"I see. And you want to pump me for information." The woman sat back in her chair, plainly intrigued. "Go ahead, then, ask what you will."

With all the lethal cold-bloodedness of a predator, Sesshoumaru went in for the kill.

"Are you truly Kagome's mother by blood?"

And Hitomi stared at him, surprised.

She hadn't expected that question, at all.

~oOo~

A/N: In canon, while we are given textual clues that Kagome is unable to go back through the well to see her family after she comes back after the three years, it never _explicitly_ says so, and so, for the purposes of this fic, I am saying that she can still go see her family. And take others through it, if she chooses, as well.

Amber


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Hitomi sat back and held his gaze for several long moments, her expression clearly weighing. It looked like she was reevaluating the male settled at her table – and Sesshoumaru had a very strong feeling that she was seeing more than he might have expected.

This human woman was quite clearly very intelligent, and nobody's fool – he wondered what her thoughts on him were. It might be interesting to see into this woman's mind, and suddenly, he realized that it almost didn't matter whether she had actually birthed Kagome or not – because she was _definitely_ the young woman's mother.

Finally, as the silence began to drag on longer than he was comfortable with, she answered.

"Kagome is... _partially_ my daughter, I suppose you could say," she said quietly, keeping her eyes pinned to him, wanting to see his reaction to her words.

He blinked. _Partially? _"And by that you mean...?"

With a rather sharp smile that he was almost surprised to see coming from a human female, she said, "This is a shrine, and I am a shrine daughter. Just before I became pregnant with Kagome, I was visited by Omoikane-kami-sama. He spoke to me of my daughter, and told me many things that she would encounter in her life. He also told me that she would not be truly human in the same sense that I and my husband were."

_The kami of wisdom and intelligence? _ "How was she made... not human, yet bred by a human father, and birthed by a human mother?"

Hitomi's gaze went far away for a moment; it was clear she was remembering events from long ago. "When I first became pregnant with Kagome, I was visited again, by many kami – though their aspects remained hidden, and to this day I do not know which kami participated, and which did not. They laid hands upon me, and changed her while she lay curled beneath my heart." She focused on him once more and smiled. "Kagome really contains aspects of kami, youkai, and humanity, within her – her immortality is the aspect of the kami she has, her power that is innate to her, as yours is to you, is the aspect of youkai she carries, and her appearance is human – as well as her soft heart."

He considered her words for some time, his cold gaze not straying from her, while he arranged what he'd learned from her this night in his mind. What she'd told him begged the question... "Why would the kami do such a thing? What was the purpose of changing a human child while still in the womb into something... other? Something not so human?"

Taking a slow sip of her tea, Hitomi nodded at that question. It was one she had asked, herself.

"They created her to change the world. That is all they would tell me when I asked."

~oOo~

_They created her to change the world. I suppose I can see that – after all, she has already changed my era, my world. If not for her, Inuyasha would still be pinned, and Naraku would still be alive. But was that all she was created for? It seems such a small changing, for one that they went to so much effort to create._

Sesshoumaru sat once more outside Kagome's window, watching the night sky wheel through its circle of darkness reaching once more for daylight, pondering on everything he had learned since coming here.

He could not deny that his focus was changing slightly – perhaps Kagome had been correct in avowing that _what_ she was was not so important. He was still curious about that, there was no denying it, but he was beginning to think that there was no answer to that question, except that she was something... _new_. It could be that defining what she was could only be answered by defining her _purpose_ – by discovering what it was that the kami had created her to change.

Looking back on her years in his era, it was obvious now with hindsight that she was a catalyst for change. She had to do no more than exist, to change everything around her. Even he, the supposedly immutable youkai lord that he was, had been changed, by nothing more than her presence. But what was it, _specifically_, that she had been created for? What change was she supposed to institute within this creation of the kami?

A thought crossed his mind, then, and he considered it for a time – in a way, Kagome was just as much a creation of the kami, as the world, and all of life was. She could rightfully claim the earth as her sister.

_One thing is certain – she is unique. No matter what she is, in the end, there is not another like her anywhere, and there never will be. She was created to be eternal, and so the kami have no plans to create another like her, ever. It is no surprise, _he mused idly to himself, _that she is so unique – after all, nothing would gain so much of my attention that was not._

And that was why, when he had taken everything out and looked at it again – all the questions he had about her, all the answers he had gained in his quest to understand what she was, and the questions he still had, it did not bother him to realize that his interest in her had deepened to obsession, and from obsession to _need_. He, Sesshoumaru, who neededvery little more than air, water, and occasionally food, to survive, now could add one more thing to the list – Kagome. It was not surprising, either, to find that she was at the head of that very short list.

Somehow, in the years he had spent pondering her, she had moved in, and taken over, rendering him as hers, irrevocably. He shrugged to himself as that thought slid through his mind – he honestly could say he did not care. He needed her, he wanted her, and so he would have her – he was Sesshoumaru, and what he wanted, he got. She belonged to him, just as he belonged to her.

_Bokuseno... _the memory came to him, then, of the old tree, and his words. _"I am pleased that I have gotten at least a partial answer from you, Sesshoumaru. But you should continue to ponder that question, as well, while you are thinking on the origins of the girl – because your answer was not complete." _It was now obvious what the tree had been pointing at, and he found it somewhat annoying that the magnolia had seen so clearly into his mind. But there was little point in worrying over it – and he certainly had much more interesting things to ponder.

He set aside, for the moment, his quest for answers into the mystery of his Lotus, and instead, turned his formidable intellect onto the problem of how to gain his newborn desire – her, as his, for the rest of this eternity she had been created to change.

_She already must have some interest in this one, beyond as a curiosity – after all, she was 'flattered' by my interest. And she has declared her own interest in knowing more of me._

He was also quite pleased that he had scented arousal on her in his presence, yesterday. If she were as attracted as he was, that could only be to the good.

He could do no better than use this idea of hers, this 'learning who she was' exercise, to draw her in until she wanted him as much as he wanted her...

Human appearance, or not, there was no denying that he found her beautiful, and was attracted to her, not just by her mere existence, but in carnal ways that it was easy to scent she had no experience with. That thought pleased him, his hot blood rising at the idea of imprinting himself into her psyche and flesh as deeply as she was already imprinted into his own psyche, and would soon, if he had his way, be in his flesh, as well. He found that her assertion that it did not matter what she was, was quite correct, in this matter, at least – his attraction to her and need of her was just as all-encompassing now, as it would be if he were to gain his answers... or conversely, was never to do so.

He would still want her, no matter whether he ever gained his answers, or not.

_Perhaps she was created for me... to change me, and to satisfy me. And I am beginning to suspect that in the end I will not care what her true purpose, is, as long as I can have her._

He shifted a little uncomfortably as his thoughts aroused him, his need coming on him sharply, suddenly, and decided it might be best to go back to considering her purpose in the eyes of the kami, rather than the purpose _he_ wanted her for. As it was a desire that could not be fulfilled at this time, it was causing him unnecessary pain, and with narrowing eyes, he focused his formidable control, and fought back his need.

Forcing his mind back to his previous thoughts, he ran through his discussion with Hitomi once more, and something occurred to him as he focused on her words; Omoikane, the kami of knowledge and wisdom, had visited her, and spoken to her of Kagome.

_It occurs to this one that perhaps I should make a visit to the shrine of the kami of wisdom and knowledge. Since he has been intimately involved with Kagome's creation, he could answer my questions, if he so chose. It would not hurt to ask. _

Tilting his head up, he breathed deeply of the cool night air, his nose wrinkling slightly at the unpleasant odors her era carried. Still, there was a distinct lack of a certain scent that bothered him; where were the scents of youkai? He could detect only one besides his own, and Inuyasha's – Tattari-Mokki, the guardian of children's souls, the flute wielder. Where had all his kind gone? Were his words to Kagome of the immutability of youkai perhaps wrong?

True, inuyoukai such as himself were already rare even in his era – there were less than a dozen silver inu left, and besides himself, only three others of those were males. The rest were females, and one of those females was already taken by a black Inu. Of course, he wasn't counting Inuyasha, as hanyou, though considering things as they were at this point, it might be necessary to carry on the blood of the silver inu, and his great father, to rethink his stance on Inuyasha.

It was possible that one of the female inu could be persuaded to mate his brother - while hanyou, he was still of the blood of the Inu no Taisho, and had gained a great deal of respect for his strength, his power, that he had proved during the quest to destroy Naraku. His defeat of Ryokotsussai had astounded more than he, himself, proving that the blood of the Taisho was quite powerful – even halved.

After all, it wasn't so much a hatred of hanyou, as half bloods that was the problem in youkai society – it was the lack of power. Most of the time, a half-blood meant half power, and youkai didn't respect anything weaker than themselves.

With his brother, however, much as it annoyed him for a long time to admit, that didn't seem to be an issue. Yes, there were things that a full youkai could do that his brother could not, such as being capable of flight. But... it was also true that none of the female inu still left were more powerful than Inuyasha save his own mother, and he made a mental note to take his brother in hand, and introduce a few of the more eligible females to him. They would see what they would see – if one of them gained his brother's attention, then he would certainly approve a mating.

And it was also time for him to set aside his disdain for hanyou based on their supposed weakness. Because if he gained that which he, himself, desired so powerfully now, his own young would also be considered hanyou. With a mother like Kagome, however, and he as sire, any offspring they created together might technically be half-youkai, but they would most certainly not be half-power.

_They would be something entirely new, _he mused. _There is no telling how powerful they would be. _The thought once again began to arouse him, and he directed his thoughts away from the young he would sire on Kagome firmly.

_All of that still does not say what happened to youkai, however. I wonder..._

His brow furrowed as something entered his mind, then – could it be that one of the things that Kagome might change was the seeming lack of youkai?

It was an interesting thought... if that were so, then it suggested that time was strictly linear, because in the original time-line, his kind disappeared, but after her birth, and then her journey into the past, things had been altered, and now the original timeline was no more, a new one existing in its place, instead.

He found that thought inspiring – it was quite possible that as she lived out her time in his era, and changed things, the era she was birthed in might actually turn out differently than he was now seeing it. He shook his head, then, a slight frown creasing his brow – time was such a thorny problem, and probably too much so for any but the kami to ever fully understand it.

Another thing that he needed answers to... her apparently effortless manipulation of the Meidou. That had been a youkai technique, developed by his father's old enemy, and then taken by the Inu no Taisho.

And now the power lay quiescent in Tessaiga awaiting Inuyasha's will for use.

So how had Kagome done what she had done? It was especially interesting, since there had been absolutely no power flare when she had done it.

His lips tightened as he pondered those questions, and with almost fatalistic resignation, realized that despite the answers he'd received since arriving here in this place, he now had _more_ questions than when he had started. It seemed it may not be possible to ever garner all the answers where she was concerned.

He reclined against the slope of the roof, lifting one knee to rest his arm upon as he took an appreciative sniff of Kagome's scent. It was rolling out of the window to her room, and the closer he sat to it, the better it chased off the bitter scent of her era.

And then he growled, his eyes bleeding red at the other scent that came from the room – Inuyasha's. _He sleeps within her room? _That thought infuriated him, and he growled louder, knowing his brother could hear his displeasure. Sure enough, within a few moments, Inuyasha stepped through the window and glared over at him.

"What the hell's your problem, asshole?" he snapped. "Are ya tryin' to wake everyone up?"

"Why are you in Kagome's room, hanyou?"

"Keh! Jealous?" he asked smugly. "I always sleep against her wall when we're here. Get used to it. And besides, it ain't like she's yours, so you ain't got nothing to say about it anyway, bastard."

Before he could even blink, Inuyasha found himself across the yard and pinned against the side of the shrine itself, a very angry Sesshoumaru staring threateningly into his eyes.

"You will find, half-breed," he said scathingly, "that she is more mine than she is yours. And if you even think to come between me and what I want, I will have no problem eliminating you." His voice was dark and rich with power, and in that moment, Inuyasha became highly aware for the first time just how powerful his older brother was. Even with Tessaiga, he was no match for him.

That pissed him off. "Listen, fucker," he hissed, eyes hazing a bit red, "if you even _think_ of doing anything like that, Kagome won't ever even look at you. Whatever else may happen in the years to come, I love her, and she loves me. So if I were you, I'd watch the threats."

Sesshoumaru tightened his hand around his brother's throat at his words. "And yet, hate is simply the opposite side of love, and turns to it very easily, Inuyasha," he said smoothly. "Kagome cannot hate anyone for long... after a time, her hate would turn to love given half a reason. And believe me, I would give her _every_ reason."

Inuyasha felt the rage twist inside him at his brother's words, knowing he spoke nothing but the truth. Still... "Don't count on it, Sesshoumaru. She might eventually forgive you, but she would never be able to give herself to you with my blood on your claws."

"That might perhaps be true, Inuyasha, but you would not deny the miko anything her heart really desired, and you know it. And she desires this one... so you had best prepare to accept that she is mine," he flashed back at his brother, satisfaction easily noticeable in his voice.

After a moment, when his brother had taken in the truth of his words, he opened his hand and dropped him. "You will not be sleeping in her room anymore, _little brother._" And with that, he turned and disappeared, once more stationed right outside her bedroom window as he settled back and took in her scent, now minus his brother's annoying smell.

_You had best get used to the truth of this matter, Inuyasha. The Lotus is mine._

~oOo~

Kagome woke the next morning slowly, and blinked sleepily in the cool early morning air. After sitting up and yawning, she stretched and then looked around, surprised not to see Inuyasha propped against his usual spot beneath the window. _I wonder where he went?_

Shaking her head, she slipped out of bed and went to the window, looking through it to see if Sesshoumaru was still there. He wasn't, but then she looked down into the courtyard and noticed him, sans clothing on his upper half, doing intricate kata with his sword. Her mouth went dry at the sight of a half naked Sesshoumaru... _Wow... _Well defined chords of muscle showed along his upper body; he was built, yet not overly-muscled like some of the men in her era. She'd never been attracted to that body builder type, thinking it ugly. And yet, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the daiyoukai was so much stronger than even the biggest of them would ever be.

It was a huge turn on, and she blushed at the sight of him moving so elegantly around the courtyard, before forcing herself to back away from her window. _Time for a nice cold shower, _she thought, _I don't need him smelling what he does to me. That would probably gross him out or something – someone other than a youkai female lusting after him._

And Sesshoumaru, down in the courtyard, smirked as he continued with his kata – he'd scented her attraction and arousal from down here... but so had his brother, who was now glaring at him from the branches of the Goshinboku.

"Did I not tell you that she desired me?" he asked mildly. "Now you know for yourself the truth of my words."

"Feh. Crazy wench, anyways, to want anything to do with you. Like I told her once before, things you get interested in tend to end up dead," he snapped.

Sesshoumaru paused in his routine, turning his head to look at his brother in the tree with arrogant amusement. "The only death the miko has to fear in my arms is one of pleasure, Inuyasha. I do not think that any female would truly fear such a thing."

"So you want to turn her into a whore for your lust, huh? Use her 'til you're bored, and then move on again?" he snarled. "I won't let you do that, bastard – I'll kill you even if it kills me, too!"

Straightening to his full height, the daiyoukai narrowed his eyes on his brother's tense form, and held up his hand, his fingers beginning to glow. "If I_ ever_ hear such foul words in regards to what is mine again, half-breed, I will use this whip to do more than knock you out of a tree," he snarled back, snapping his whip and doing just that, watching as Inuyasha plummeted to the pavement.

He stared in shock at his brother, stunned at that reaction. And then he narrowed his own eyes at Sesshoumaru; peeling himself off the ground, he asked slowly, "What is it you really want from her, bastard? This isn't even about your damned 'curiosity' anymore, is it?"

"Oh, do not be mistaken, Inuyasha. I am still determined to find out all there is to know about Kagome Higurashi. But that is not all I want from her – not any longer. I will only tell you this – do not interfere. I will tolerate nothing that gets in my way, so if you wish to remain alive, take heed to my words." With that, he slid Tenseiga back into his obi, gathered his garments and Bakusaiga from the small bench under the Goshinboku, and walked back towards the house, his pelt reappearing over his shoulder in a burst of youki.

Inuyasha followed after a few moments, thoughts rife with suspicions that were slowly becoming more and more believable. _The bastard doesn't just want answers... he wants Kagome. And maybe for more than one of his occasional ruts._

He decided to watch his brother, and see where he was taking things. If it looked like he was just playing with her, then he'd Meidou his ass straight to hell, and fuck the consequences.

Grimacing as he walked into the house and found Hitomi smiling at Sesshoumaru welcomingly, he turned and wandered up the stairs to knock on Kagome's door – he didn't want to get a trash can to the head again, and thought he'd be better off waiting for her invitation into the room.

"Yeah?" she hollered through the door.

"Hey, Kagome, can I come i-" he stopped in surprise when the door was pulled open and a smiling woman motioned him in.

"So what's up, Inuyasha?" she asked, moving back over to her dresser where she was putting her clothes away.

He watched her for a moment, and then went over to her bed and sat down, pulling Tessaiga to him. "Why did you really bring the bastard to your time, Kagome?" he asked slowly.

She stiffened a little, pausing in her folding for a moment, then continued on, and said, voice deliberately casual, "What do you mean? You know why he's here, you were there when we talked about it."

"Yeah, and I also know there's more than what you're telling me, too. Why the hell are you tempting fate by letting that asshole near you? He's dangerous," he shot back.

Turning to face him, she _laughed_. "Inuyasha, your brother can't kill me. Haven't you figured that out yet? Come on, he turned his poison on me, and it didn't do anything to me at all – well, except make me want to sneeze. That stuff stinks!"

That gave him pause – for all of five seconds. "So what? You think you'll stand up so well to his damn claws, wench? Or Bakusaiga?" He ignored her small joke, mind too caught up in his worries.

Shaking her head, Kagome walked over to sit next to him on her bed, and lean her head against his shoulder contentedly. She sighed. "Oh, Inuyasha... you need to stop worrying so much. I mean what I'm saying. Sesshoumaru _cannot_ kill me. And that's not what he wants, anyway. If he did, it'd be straight back to boredom immediately – and I think that's about the only thing that actually _scares_ your brother. Let's face it – nothing else in the world can offer him the relief from that boredom that I can, so he's not likely to want to get rid of the only thing keeping him sane."

Inuyasha sighed heavily, knowing she was right, but still not liking it. "Keh. Just be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you. I'd go crazy if it did." He wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to his side, just enjoying holding her. He'd missed the comfort only she could give him for three long years, and it would take a while for him to calm down a bit in his need to be around her.

After a few minutes he exhaled deeply and began to pull away, but Kagome held on. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

"It's the uptight prick. He's about to walk in here," he said sourly as the door swung open, and a narrow-eyed Sesshoumaru stood staring at the two sitting on the edge of the bed.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh, hey, Sesshoumaru. Come on in," she said, voice heavy with irony as she looked at him reprovingly. "Don't worry about knocking or anything polite like that."

The daioukai was not amused, and it showed in his cold gaze. Inuyasha returned the look just as coldly, and Kagome rolled her eyes again at the two and sighed. "Okay, you know what? If you two want to act like that, you can _both_ go back through the well. I'm in a good mood, and don't want it ruined by you guys and your petty fighting," she reprimanded the males.

After a few moments of continuing the staredown, Inuyasha hugged Kagome harder and then let go and stood up. "Keh. I think the rabid fluffball over there wants to pump you for more information, so I'm gonna go hang out with your grandfather in the storage sheds." He cast his brother a sarcastic glare as he pushed past him. "He's _loads_ more fun than this icy bastard, anyway."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped, exasperated.

"Feh!" came drifting back up the stairs, and Kagome couldn't help it, she laughed.

"Oh, Inuyasha," she said fondly. Shaking her head, she looked back over at a very icy daiyoukai, and cocked her head in curiosity. "So... what's with you and the Ice Age look?" she asked.

One regal brow tilted into his bangs, and he stared at her with a reproving expression at her flippancy. "Would you prefer that this one leave, woman? This Sesshoumaru would not want to interrupt your time with the hanyou," he bit out, the aforementioned ice freezing the air around him.

Kagome just looked confused. "Hey, what's with your attitude? You're acting like your all jealous or something."

"Answer, Kagome. Would you rather I leave?"

"Well, if you're going to act like that, then go ahead. I'll just do what I originally came here to do, and that's go shopping with my mother," she huffed. _He's __really__ acting jealous. I wonder why?_

"Hn." He eyed her coldly for a moment more, then unbent slightly, and moved into the room, sitting down on the chair to her desk and considering her thoughtfully. "Tell me, woman... how did you open that meidou yesterday?"

She blinked, staring at him blankly. "Eh?" she asked, not sure she'd heard him right.

"The meidou. You opened one yesterday, and you did it with no power spike whatsoever. How did you do so?" he asked again, and Kagome could hear his impatience in his voice.

"Oh," she blushed. "The meidou." She looked down at her feet, then canted a quick look back at him. "Well... when you used to use Tenseiga to open the meidou, of course, it used a certain kind of power to do it, but there's more than one way to do things, you know. Physical power isn't even always the best way to do things."

He frowned as he stared at her, his eyes narrowing. "Explain."

"There's many different types of power, ne, Sesshoumaru? Power like you wield, youki, and then there's reiki. Knowledge is also power, correct?" He inclined his head agreeingly. "And then there's authority. That's also a form of power, and in a lot of ways, it's more direct. Some people would use spells to open a portal to hell, like Kikyou did. And some use a sword, like you or Inuyasha. Sou'unga used his innate power as a spirit of hell to do the same. I used authority. I commanded a portal to open, and it did, because I have that sort of power over some things."

_Authority? Such a thing only belongs to the kami themselves... _and then he remembered her mother's words..._ "When I first became pregnant with Kagome, I was visited again, by many kami – though their aspects remained hidden, and to this day I do not know which kami participated, and which did not. They laid hands upon me, and changed her while she lay curled beneath my heart."_

"Tell me," he said slowly, "how much do you know of the circumstances of your birth?"

"Oh, you mean the kami-sama, and what they told my mom and what they did? Pretty much everything. Mama told me all about it during the three years I was back here," she replied.

"One wonders what the kami could have needed you to change so badly that they went to such lengths to create you," he murmured, as though to himself.

"Probably lots of things," she said casually, shrugging, not sounding concerned or even interested at all. "I don't think it was one thing in particular that they took such effort for."

"Perhaps," he said quietly, staring at her, a certain concentration in his eyes. Kagome could easily see that he was thinking about things.

She stood up, and clapped her hands together firmly. "Okay, there's things I need to do today, like going shopping, and I'm obviously not going to get that done sitting here." She was about to leave the room when Sesshoumaru stopped her.

"Will this one be able to go with you?" he asked.

She paused, turning her head to look at him with a small smile. "Sure... but same things apply today. Markings, fangs and claws have to be hidden, no pelt, armor or swords, either."

He quirked a brow at her at that last qualification. "Perhaps you could explain why I am not able to carry my swords."

"Because it's not legal to carry weapons here in this era. Well, unless you have a permit, like if you have a gun or something. But most people don't carry swords around, and if they do, they are carried in a case, say if the person has a competition or something." She blinked at him. "Is that going to be a problem today for some reason?"

He deigned to shake his head. "No, I was simply curious. How do people defend themselves here, if they do not carry a sword? You mentioned guns, but I cannot see how that would be a very good form of protection – they are large and unwieldy, and take too much time to prepare for one shot that is not even that accurate."

Kagome laughed. "Oh, not nowadays they aren't. Guns come in all sizes and types. Some are small enough to fit in my purse, and some are huge machine guns that shoot hundreds of bullets a minute. And they are only as inaccurate as the person wielding them. But anyway, we don't wander around with weapons, because that's what the police do here in this era – they are basically enforcers of the laws, and they protect the public from those who are dangerous."

He was completely intrigued by the idea of guns that were small, or ones that were large and shot hundreds of bullets in a minute. It seemed that humans had become quite dangerous in Kagome's era. "Such deadly weapons, hmm, Kagome?" he asked as he followed her down the stairs.

"And that's not even the worst of them. We've cultivated deadly illnesses and turned them into weapons of mass destruction, made bombs that, if ignited, could destroy the entire earth and pretty much everything in it until all that was left would be a dead world. You could say that Sou'unga was the first hint of a weapon of mass destruction – but humans had to go and outdo anything your era or any youkai could come up with. Sometimes it frustrates me so much."

"A... bomb?" he asked, tasting the word as it rolled of his tongue.

"Hmm, yeah... hard to explain, but basically, mostly shaped sorta like bullets only a hell of a lot bigger, and they explode, causing major destruction."

"What of the bomb you were speaking of – that could destroy the whole earth. Obviously, it must not have ever been used, as the world is still here," he said slowly.

"Well, that's not quite true," she sighed as they entered the kitchen. "One bomb isn't enough to do that. Even two, or three. They're called nuclear weapons, and are pretty much the most powerful weapons ever created. But the thing is, the country with the most of these weapons, has quite a bit more than anyone else, and so, all of the lands that have some, all sit and stare at each other, knowing if they use them, the others are going to also fire theirs. It's kind of a doomsday scenario and a stalemate all at once."

"Hn." It was clear that he was rather skeptical about her words, but she didn't care.

Kagome shook her head, snagging some of the leftovers off a platter as she moved past the table. "Are you going to come with Sesshoumaru and I shopping, mama?" she asked as she munched on the rice balls.

Hitomi, who'd listened to the tail end of the discussion, found herself rather amused at the daiyoukai's expression, but nodded.

"Where are you planning to go, Kagome?" she asked, a bit concerned about the 'aristocratic assassin' and his ability to handle large crowds of humans without slaughtering people.

Kagome eyed the inuyoukai weighingly, then asked, "What can you handle, Sesshoumaru? If we take you someplace that's crowded and noisy, are you going to flip out and start killing people and destroying things?"

He looked at her, a suddenly glacial expression on his face at her question. "This Sesshoumaru can handle anything you can imagine, woman, and probably more" he said coldly.

Meeting her mother's amused gaze, Kagome shrugged and accepted his word. "Then I want to stop at the mall – there's some things I'd like to pick up from certain stores there, and then... hm. Perhaps the grocery store, since I need to pick up ramen and pocky, and a few other things, as well." She paused, brow furrowed. "There was something else I wanted to do... oh, yeah! I need to stop at the pharmacy, too. I'd like to get some more stuff for arthritis for Kaede."

Her mother nodded, then put the last of the dishes away and dried her hands. "Okay, then, I'll go and get ready. Are we going to drive or take the train?"

"Honestly? This time, I think we'll drive. Maybe next time we can take the train – _after_ I've explained it to his majesty, here," she said flippantly as she glanced at Sesshoumaru. She grinned. "Well, come on, my Lord, let's get ready to go. You can keep your swords in my room, and your pelt as well." She walked back out of the kitchen and up the stairs again.

Following the sometimes annoying woman up the stairs, he eyed her backside, seriously considering using his whip in it's most benign state to smack her ass a few times for her presumption. _As if this one could not handle the presence of mere humans. How could she even think to question my control over myself?_

When they reached her room, he bowed his head at her with a certain sarcastic bent to his actions, then set Bakusaiga and Tenseiga gently upon her bed. Straightening, he focused his youki, and his claws, fangs, markings, and pelt disappeared in a burst of energy, leaving Kagome staring at him, startled. He looked back at her, smugly satisfied.

"Hey, I didn't know you could make your pelt disappear like that. Why didn't you do that yesterday?" she asked.

"I chose not to. My pelt is a part of me, though, as much as my markings are, and thus can be made to fade and disappear just as they can." He refused to tell her the _real_ reason he'd left his pelt in her room yesterday – he wanted his scent to start to permeate her space. It showed that she belonged to him, that places that had once been just hers, were now becoming _theirs_. That was why his brother's scent mucking things up last night had so angered him.

She just stared at him for a moment, then turned away to gather her belongings. "Huh," she huffed out slowly. "Never thought of it like that. The pelt... it turns into that ruff around your neck in your true form, right?" she asked, thinking back to the one time she'd seen him in his true form.

"It does," he said simply, watching as she turned and, carrying several items, moved to leave her room. He preceded her out the door, and she closed it on her way out, then traipsed lightly down the stairs, heading for the entryway to the house. Once there, she slipped on her shoes, and then stepped out the door, not waiting for him to follow.

"Are we not waiting for your mother?" he asked, and she looked over at him and nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm going to tell grandfather and Inuyasha that we're leaving."

"Hn. And where is your younger brother?"

"Oh, Sota's at school. He'll be home later in the afternoon."

"School?" he questioned, wondering at the meaning of such a strange word.

She chuckled, trying to think of a term he would understand that might explain what school was. "Umm, it's basically tutoring. Only you're in a huge building, and every child has to attend. It's mandatory. Five days a week, you attend from morning to afternoon."

He cocked a brow, thinking over the things he'd seen already in her world, and had to say he was not surprised that every child was ordered to receive this 'tutoring'. Her world was highly complicated, and the ignorant and untutored state of humans in his era would not work here.

"And what do you learn in these schools, Kagome?" he asked, intrigued.

"Anything you could imagine," she said wryly, "and lot's of it is stuff you never even use." She paused to step into one of the storage sheds that dotted the shrine grounds, and he listened to her tell the two males within it that they were leaving. He heard Inuyasha start to put up a bit of a fuss, but Kagome put a stop to it immediately, her tone of voice letting him know he was exasperating her and heading for a sitting if he didn't stop nagging.

He wanted to snicker at the suddenly horrified voice of the elder male telling her to take the hanyou outside before doing that, since he didn't want to lose anymore of his precious 'artifacts' to such a thing again. His brother's sour "Keh!" amused him greatly – he enjoyed anything that made the whelp uncomfortable or angry.

Still, not wanting to have Kagome get angry at him and start ignoring his questions, which would only make him angry in turn, he controlled his amusement, and maintained his normal cool demeanor. He was joined by Hitomi just as Kagome stepped out of the shed, and he watched as the older woman handed her a set of what looked rather like strange keys.

"Oh, you're going to let me drive?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, I don't see why not. This way, I can just sit back and relax. And too-" she cast a sly look at the daiyoukai, "-if Lord Sesshoumaru gets irritated with the ride, it won't be at me."

Both brows shot into his bangs at that, even as Kagome tossed her mother a sarcastic look. "Gee, thanks, mom. Throwing your only daughter to the dogs," she giggled. "Pun intended." Her mother laughed as well, and Sesshoumaru chose to ignore both of them. It was too bad he had promised to behave, he reflected, or he would have immediately put her in her place... which was below him. After an uncomfortable twinge in places it was better not to think about at this time at that thought, he decided it might be best to concentrate on something else.

As they approached one of the odd contraptions he'd seen so many of on the roads yesterday, he decided to concentrate on the 'ride' the women had spoken of.

It was definitely going to be a very odd experience, he thought, as a door was opened and he was told to climb in.

_Humans are so strange... _

~oOo~

Kagome eyed Sesshoumaru as she parked the car at the mall closest to the shrine, not wanting to drive any further than she had to on his first real foray into her birth world. He had been quiet the entire trip, seemingly taking in everything around him with an avid curiosity that only made her more aware of his inu heritage. It was rather funny – dogs were quite curious, and Sesshoumaru took that trait to extremes.

"You know," she said, her amusement clear, "you've changed a bit since I left Sengoku Jidai. The teasing from before would have occasioned an attempt on my life."

He turned to look at her, his eyes thoughtful. Kagome sobered at his seriousness. "This Sesshoumaru is daiyoukai. Youkai do not change often, but when we do, the change is absolute - and irreversible. It occurs to this one that the thing that kami created you to change must have been youkai – because in all his centuries, never has he come across anything that causes such changes in every youkai you come in contact with."

She stared at him, mouth slightly open as she thought about his words, but she was shaken from her reverie by her mother, who opened her door and got out, her amusement at her daughter's surprise obvious.

"Come, let's get going, you two. There is much to get done, and I'd like to get home in time to start dinner."

Kagome was quiet, thinking about his words. Was he trying to say that _she_ was what had changed him? _I never thought I'd ever hear something like that, _she thought disjointedly. _But no... what about Rin?_

"I would have thought that Rin was the one responsible for so much change in you, Sesshoumaru," she said softly, knowing he would hear.

"Rin..." he trailed off as he thought about the child that had first tempted his curiosity. "Rin woke my mind to the fact that not all humans were the same," he admitted. "And she gave me something to protect. But the changes you see within me, never would have come about if it were not for you."

That particular confession rendered her silent, her mind whirling as she took in his words, and tried to figure out how to take them. There had been something in his voice... _Does he...? No... it can't be. I'm not youkai, and he wouldn't feel that way for anyone but a youkai female, since he's so concerned with bloodline purity and all._

Shaking her head, she set aside her thoughts, dubbing them as useless, and turned her attention to what she had come to the mall to get.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru was interested to note that the first 'store', as Kagome called them, she visited, was one which featured traditional clothing. It seemed she wanted to make sure she had plenty of different things available for wear when in his world.

He was fascinated, he couldn't deny it. How different from his era! There, when one wanted clothing made, a trip to a cloth merchant was first, then a seamstress was employed to actually create the clothing, which took time. Not here – one simply went to a 'store', where there were many different styles, sizes, and colors to choose from - and they were available immediately.

Convenient...

He was pleased to note that, especially compared to most other females in her world, she had a much more modest way of dressing. It made him wonder about that short green shirt she'd wandered around in back during the hunt for Naraku.

"Tell me, Kagome... your way of dressing has changed. When you first came to my world, you wore such indecent clothing, and yet now, you seem so much more circumspect. Why is this?"

Kagome blinked, a bit surprised. "Well, that wasn't my choice in clothes – that was our school uniform. All female students were required to wear it-" her expression turned sour for a moment, then, "-though I always wondered at which old pervert on the school board chose such a revealing skirt. I grew to hate that thing really fast, let me tell you."

Their discussion was interrupted by her mother's laughter, and she winked at Kagome before asking, "Did you know that I had petitioned the school board to get the uniform changed?"

Eyes wide, Kagome shook her head, while Sesshoumaru listened avidly, curious as to her reasoning. After all, it was most apparent that there was a very lax attitude in this era towards clothing.

"Yes. I put it to them that forcing a shrine daughter to wear such a revealing outfit was disrespectful to the kami, but you are right, Kagome – those old men on the school board are perverts. Obviously, I did not win my petition."

A disgusted look settled on the young woman's face as she gathered her choices up and went to the front counter to pay. "It figures," she said. "It really creeps me out when I think of all the times those men would come to the school to 'discuss important matters' – it doesn't take a genius to figure out what they were really doing. Ugh."

"It is a good thing that cameras aren't allowed on the school campus, then, yes?" Hitomi asked with a chuckle. "Well, except for in photography class."

Kagome's eyes slid closed as she shuddered. "Oh, that's horrible, mother! I never even thought of that, but I'm so glad you're right!"

"Hn." Sesshoumaru looked around at their surroundings as they left the one small shop, watching with a discerning eye as men stared at females and even made plays for them right in the middle of the building, not caring who was watching. He noted that human men hadn't changed one bit since his time, in this matter at least.

"The males of your kind do not appear to be any more intelligent in this time, than they were in mine. All they are interested in is in how a female appears."

Startled, Kagome blinked at him, a confused expression appearing on her delicate features. "What do you mean?"

"Beauty is merely one facet of a female. Too often, those with the prettiest faces, have little else to recommend them. There are much more important factors to consider when choosing a mate," he said, voice almost stiff.

Fascinated at this insight into the normally much more close-mouthed daiyoukai, Kagome said, "Oh? What would those factors be?" in an encouraging manner.

It worked. "Intelligence, obviously," he said dryly. "I cannot abide stupidity. And personality, as well. If you cannot stand to be around the female, what is the point in mating her?"

Hitomi laughed, as Kagome shrugged. "I guess so. Never thought about it. But that doesn't really mean a whole lot, Sesshoumaru – I've never yet met an ugly higher youkai, male _or_ female."

"That means less than nothing, woman – why do you think I have never taken a mate? They may be beautiful, but they are insipid, and would be nothing more than a waste of my time. I would have none, before I would have one that was worthless, and so far beneath me," he said coolly.

Kagome snorted. "Well, since your standards are probably impossibly high, looks like you're going to be alone forever, then. You'll never find anyone to live up to your own impressive stature," she said, slight sarcasm in her voice.

He cast her an enigmatic glance. "Do not be too sure of that, Kagome. There is one that I believe just might – or at least, will come closer than any other female ever would."

Glumly, Kagome decided to drop that subject right then – she didn't want to hear him start talking about whatever female demon he'd finally found that could possibly measure up in his eyes.

"Well, anyway, that's neither here nor there. And just for the record," she said, "not _all_ men are that way. I'll agree that most are, but some actually are worth something." She looked over at her mother. "Remember Hojo, mama? He certainly wasn't all that worried about beauty. After all, he chased _me_ for years before finally giving up. I almost wish I could have been interested in him - he was smart, ambitious, kind and caring, and he was pretty handsome, too. But I just couldn't seem to see him as anything more than a friend," she sighed, not noticing the narrow look Sesshoumaru shot her.

Her mother did, though, and smiled inwardly, somehow not surprised to realize the degree of interest he held in her daughter. _Oh, my dear girl, you are in for a surprise sometime soon, if I'm not mistaken. Yes... I think he will do well as a son-in-law," _she decided, rather pleased.

Sesshoumaru eyed Kagome, displeased with several of her comments, but not willing to bring it up at that point, he simply stayed silent, watching her, and how she interacted with her environment.

_She is completely confident in herself here, she knows this world and how to get around in it – yet, she seems to remain almost aloof from it, as though she does not really wish to be a part of it. Odd, that. She spent most of her life here... and yet, she is more comfortable in my world._

He tuned back in to here her mother ask her where they were stopping next.

"Oh, I wanted to stop at that outdoor sports store that's just ahead. I think I'm going to pick up a few airbeds – sleeping on tatami mats is just killer. That's the one thing I miss when I'm over there – my fluffy, soft bed. And one for Kaede, too – it's getting too hard for her to sleep on the floor, and even harder for her to get up. If I pick up one that sits higher off the floor, it would be really good for her, and they can be taken down and folded away during the day, too, so they don't take up too much room," she said, happy to move on from the previous topic.

"Air... mattress?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Oh, well... kind of like a futon, but they're filled with air. Makes them much softer than any futon even the wealthy people in your era have. The only downside is in the winter, because they're filled with air, they tend to get kind of cold. But you can always throw more blankets on them, and they do okay," Kagome replied.

He blinked lazily as his eyes fixed on the store display in the window of the shop she was leading them towards, and his interest sharpened. Running idle fingers through his silver locks, which had every woman nearby staring with awe and lust, he said, "This 'store' looks interesting. I am quite curious about some of these objects."

Kagome groaned inwardly. _I have the feeling my brain's going to overload with all of his darn questions before we ever get back to the past. _With a deep sigh, she fortified herself, and asked, "What do you want to know?"

Hitomi almost choked on her laughter as the daiyoukai began pointing out things and firing questions at her daughter.

_Oh, dear... Kagome, maybe you shouldn't have asked that. Now we're never going to get out of here!_

~oOo~

By the time they managed to get out of the mall, Kagome was about ready to either push him off a building, or, since that wouldn't really work because he could fly, jump off one herself. Never mind the fact that wouldn't accomplish much, either, since she wouldn't die, anyway. Still, the sentiment was the same, and they hadn't even gotten to the grocery store, or the pharmacy yet.

And that wasn't even including all the women that had followed them around, trying to get his attention. He had ignored them all with a sort of grand indifference, but it had been a real pain trying to wade through the throngs of females at times, and her temper was beginning to get a little short.

That was a recipe for disaster, as far as Hitomi was concerned – a bad-tempered Kagome hashing it out with a bad-tempered youkai lord. She was seriously considering postponing the rest of the shopping trip for tomorrow, but when she suggested it, Kagome shook her head.

"No, mama, I had planned to go back tomorrow morning, so we need to get done today." She sighed, putting a hand to her head and massaging her temples, where a headache was beginning to form. "I promise, I'll keep my temper under control until we get home."

Sesshoumaru merely ignored her seeming ill-temper, still examining the things around him with every evidence of interest, though a great deal of the time, with disapproval. The more he saw of her world, the more he disapproved – sure, there were a great many improvements in lifestyle, such as the 'plumbing' in houses, and the cooking apparatus, as well as the cooling box for food. And it was clear that the advancements made by healers were great, but other than that, the rest seemed more a waste of time and money, not really worth the effort it took to have them.

As interesting as things were here, he was able to say he preferred his own time, and he actually dreaded the thought that in five hundred years, this was what his world would look like. Unless his hopes about Kagome changing things was valid – perhaps, if he spoke to the kami himself, and asked that they avert this particular future, they would agree?

_To have to forever breathe this caustic air, and have no freedom to roam in this form, or my true form? _He shuddered inwardly. _No... I will be pleased to return home._

_But it has, at the least, provided me much insight into what makes her Kagome. Though it is odd... some parts of her personality seem to be almost the antithesis of what she should be coming from a place such as this. One wonders where those parts of her came from – what formed them. The more I learn of her, the more the mystery of her deepens..._

He eyed her from the side as they walked, having arrived at the 'grocery store' that she wished to visit, though he was unclear what such a store sold. The mystery there, however, was solved as they entered, and his nose was bombarded by the smells of human food – though many of the scents were of things he'd never encountered before.

It occurred to him, in that moment, why she had seemed so woefully incompetent when she had first appeared in his world – she had been, but through no fault of her own. It was simply that in _her_ world, the knowledge that one needed in his, was obsolete. If you needed food, you simply went to a store for it, rather than needing to know how to grow it, or hunt for it. She didn't need to know which plants could be used for food, because here, those that were good for food were offered in the market, the merchants themselves knowing what could be used for food, and what could not be.

Back when he had first become aware of her, and had been exposed to her a few times, he'd scoffed at her seeming ignorance to even the most simple of skills needed for survival, thinking her perhaps the offspring of some mortal daimyo that had been pampered and made useless for anything more than marriage to another fat old daimyo for breeding purposes. And her odd belongings had only fortified that idea – none of the things she had carried were anything any peasant could ever possibly have had access to. Her clothing, while brief, seemed to be made mostly of cotton, which in his time, was a luxury such as even silk was not.

But now, all of that made sense. And she had shown her intelligence, as well, through all of that time, learning the skills needed for survival in his world quite rapidly. He could respect that... intelligence, after all, was never to be scoffed at - there was far too little of it in the world.

It was their visit to the next store, though that had him really thoughtful. The 'pharmacy', as she called it.

When they entered the place, his nose was just about overwhelmed by the scents, and confused by what his senses were telling him, he just had to ask just what was sold in this store.

He was surprised at the answer.

"Hmm. It's like an apothecary, I guess," Kagome said, not looking at him as she browsed through different bottles on long shelves. "This is the future of the healing herbs in your world, Sesshoumaru. In this world, we've learned to identify just what it is in certain herbs that make it effective against certain things, and we isolate that part, using only that, making them into pills," she held up the bottle she was currently looking at, "such as this, or tinctures or ointments, even syrups."

"That bottle," he indicated the one she was holding, "what is it for?"

"It's a painkiller. I bring it especially for Kaede, for her arthritis. It also brings down swelling." She placed the bottle in her basket, then moved down and picked up another one. "This one here is also a painkiller, but works very well to bring down fevers, too. I always buy a _lot_ of that one," she chuckled, as she added several more bottles to the one already in the cart.

"Hn. Interesting." He looked around avidly, intrigued with the thought that all these things could make potential illnesses in his era a great deal less problematic. He watched as Kagome turned onto another aisle, followed by her mother.

_With her access to these things, she would be considered a miracle worker in my era, a legendary healer, blessed of the kami – which, technically, _he allowed to himself, _she is. _

"Mama, what do you think? I've been considering getting Kaede a good cane. I mean, she has one, but it's not really the right height for her, and ends up causing more back pain for her, since she has to lean more just to use it."

Hitomi nodded. "It's probably a good idea, then, dear. A good, adjustable cane would be a great help for supporting her as she goes about her day."

Sesshoumaru watched quietly as they looked over the assorted canes carefully, finally choosing one that looked to be made of wood, but was not. He noticed rather odd looking objects next to the canes that they were looking at, and couldn't help but to ask.

"These things... what are their purpose?"

Hitomi answered that time. "Those are for sprains and strains in your joints. They give support and help keep the joint from moving too much while it's healing."

_I am interested to see what she buys from this store... what she considers useful for my era, _he thought, as he followed along behind the two women.

Needless to say, by the time they left that store, they were carrying quite a few bags, and Sesshoumaru was quite curious about pretty much everything in them.

But those were questions that would keep for another day, for the items themselves did not answer to his curiosity about Kagome herself.

And that was what he was most interested in, despite the many, many odd, curiosity inducing things her world contained.

He watched her unobtrusively as she loaded those bags into the 'car', and then drove them back to her home, considering all that he had taken in so far about her.

_There are still so many questions about her, things that do not seem to make sense... I think, once we return to my era tomorrow, the first thing I will do is visit the shrine of Omoikane-kami-sama, to see if he will grant this one an audience, and perhaps answer some of my questions._

_It is, after all, always best to go to the source for answers, and he would be considered the source, in this particular case... _

… _since he is the one that seems the most involved in Kagome's creation._

~oOo~

A/N: Not a lot happens in this particular chapter, but it lays important groundwork for later chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Sesshoumaru let his thoughts drift as he flew – even at his current speed, it would take at least an hour to reach the extremely remote shrine of Omoikane in the northern mountains.* He had left Kagome in the village just that morning with barely a word, and he considered with amusement that his brother was probably thinking he had been satisfied in his curiosity, had decided he had no other interest in Kagome after all, and wouldn't be coming back.

He really looked forward to the disappointment on the whelp's face when he arrived back in the village once his current quest was completed. Such things, were, after all, pleasing to him.

Turning his mind away from that thought after a moment, he considered some of the things he wished to ask of the kami during this visit – if the god were willing to speak to him, of course. A rather sour look crossed his face at that thought – he was Sesshoumaru, and was not used to dealing with beings that stood above him, as there was usually no cause for him to have contact with the kami.

Even the visit to Kagome's time had strained him, a little – he was well aware that, as his equal, and there was no denying that she was, he could not act with his customary demanding nature in her time. Not even with her family – she would simply have never allowed him back, and that could not be countenanced – if he later decided he had other questions for her mother, or things he wanted to see in her time, he wanted access.

Being the tactician that he was, that he had been trained to be, he knew when the time for haughty demand was, and the time for peaceful parley, even if he did not like it. If anyone seeing his actions and manner in her time had questioned him, thinking he had changed, softened, they would be disappointed – he hadn't. He was still the terrible youkai Lord, the predator, dangerous and dark.

He had just subdued that part... temporarily, to gain his own ends.

At any rate, his biggest question to the kami of wisdom and intelligence – what was Kagome designed, created, to change?

Was there even any specific thing, or was she supposed to influence change in many things?

It seemed to him that the last idea held the most probability, but that did not mean it was the truth – the kami, after all, were rarely so straightforward in anything they did.

He frowned a bit as he thought of his previous ideas on time... and the effects her presence could possibly have on things. _Is that it? Did the kami not like the shape of things as they had created them... so they created her to change that which they disliked? The things they had miscreated?_

It was possible...

Eyes narrowing, he thought of what would greet him when he arrived at the shrine of the god. It would have to be handled delicately. He did not think threatening the lives of his priests and worshipers would be the way to gain audience with him – yet most likely, those same humans would not accept his presence, and would seek to keep him from entrance.

_Humans... must they always make things so difficult? _Perhaps entry into the shrine itself would not be necessary – after all, the kami would know of his presence in the area, without need of him actually entering his holy place.

_It seems I would dare much in pursuit of my desires of this woman – not just of her, but of her origins. I would not have even begun to suspect what I would be willing to do for answers in the beginning. It makes me wonder just how much Bokuseno saw when I first went to him for answers._

His thoughts turned almost melancholy then, as his mind wandered into the distant past, and his father.

_Did you know, somehow, father? Is that why you asked me such a question? _

"_Do you have someone to protect?"_

_Were you warned of how it would be with me in the future? That would explain Tenseiga, _he mused. _For if it had not been for that sword, I would not have learned of the value that... certain humans hold through Rin._

_Not that Kagome is truly human, but still, the thought is there. She is not youkai, and I would not have held any value in one who was not before Tenseiga and Rin awoke that spark in me. _He hesitated for a moment... _No..._

It was odd to admit to himself that the truth was even stranger than that.

He had not held any worth in anyone who was not _him_. For his opinion of even those youkai females alive today was low – they were not strong enough to impress him at all, with the exception of his own mother.

Even youkai males... he'd not found one worthy of his respect in all his years of wandering – the only one he even came close to having any for was Bokuseno himself.

After all, he'd fought countless youkai, male and female. Just look at the two females that had mistakenly attempted to take Tenseiga on Menomaru's orders while looking for Tessaiga. He flicked a lock of hair over his shoulder disdainfully at that thought – that one had been so weak that he hadn't even dared to face him, instead sending his servants to inevitably fall before him. And Magatsuhi... weak _filth_. To think that he would be capable of defeating one such as himself – it was ridiculous. Even the so-called Four War Gods. His opponent had fallen easily. That fight had been nothing but a waste of time and effort.

The strict truth was that none compared to his own strength and power, and he had the same attitude towards power - and the lack of it - that other youkai did. He could not find it in himself to respect one who was so far below him.

That had left him alone and untouchable on his pedestal above all the rest of creation – until certain odd facts about a young female began to infiltrate his mind... and then, it had been a foregone conclusion, really, that he would be instantly captivated by the only being, male or female, that had ever come close to his strength and power. And the mystery of her... of what she was... and now, of _who_ she was – it was all designed to pull him in, mystify him, _intrigue_ him.

There was no way he would have been able to resist an enticement such as Kagome Higurashi was turning out to be.

He palmed the hilt of Tenseiga, letting the sword hum to him calmly as he wondered about his father's possible knowledge of Kagome... and what she would be to him. It would not be so surprising to find that the elder Inu had known something of her; after all, his father was known for his meddling in all types of things, and had been quite capable of foreseeing certain future situations.

_It is useless, however, _he reluctantly decided, _to worry over such things now. It is not as though I can get the answers to such questions – at least not at this time. Perhaps, another day, I can visit the underworld and find the answer to that, since Tenseiga is the key to the underworld, meidou or not._

His mind flashed with particular satisfaction to his memories of the guardians of the gate to the underworld, and their reaction to him and the sword he bore.

They had denied his half-breed brother entrance, and yet, had bowed to him, allowing him what he willed.

_As it should be, _he thought, idly stroking his pelt.

His reverie was broken as he began to feel the edges of a power much greater than his own, and realized that he was near his destination. Focusing sharply on the mountainside ahead of him, he carefully took note of the shrine. Aiming to land near the base of the stairs that led through the torii gate, he was slightly taken aback to take note of the head priest of the shrine standing at the top of the long staircase, as though waiting.

Allowing his cloud of youki to evaporate, he landed lightly at the foot of the stairs, watching silently the priest, to see what he would do.

He was somehow not surprised when the priest motioned slowly for him to advance up the stairs, and with narrowed eyes, he did so, alert for any hostile move from him, or any others that may be around.

_There are no others, _he realized after he swept the area with his senses. _The only other humans in the area are inside the haiden._

_I wonder..._

Once he reached a spot just below the priest, he stopped, and waited. It was for the human to speak first – he would not give up his reasons for being here as though he were a supplicant asking for a human's permission to appeal to the kami.

"You are expected, proud youkai Lord," came the voice of the human male, and Sesshoumaru quirked a brow, surprised, though he did not show it. The male answered the look. "Omoikane-kami-sama spoke to this servant this very morning and told him to prepare for your visit. Please, follow me," he said, politely enough.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, simply following the male up to the gate, where he paused out of necessary respect and purified his hands and mouth in the purification trough that sat just inside the inu guarded gate. It would not do, after all, to insult the god.

He looked around, taking note of everything curiously. It appeared to be much as most such places were, the honden* and haiden* combined into one large building, elaborately carved. His attention was caught for a moment by a strong aura of power emanating from a large tree to the side of the shrine – that it was sacred was denoted by the shimenawa* wrapped around it.

_Sacred to the god, it seems, _he thought. Remembering the sacred tree at Kagome's family shrine, he smiled most ironically. _So the kami have a particular love of trees. Bokuseno must enjoy that fact._

Emulating the priest, he bowed as they entered the honden, though not quite as deeply, of course. As soon as he stood back up, the priest nodded and turned and left, closing the shoji quietly behind him. Sesshoumaru dismissed his presence from his mind the moment he was gone, and instead contented himself with waiting for the god to show himself – he would not have gone to such lengths to have him greeted if he were going to avoid him, after all.

There was no sound or flare of power to give away Omoikane's entrance.

"So... the great youkai Lord Sesshoumaru comes to the courts of the gods to request answers." There was a light, almost sarcastic emphasis on the word _request._

Sesshoumaru refused to let the fact that he had been caught off-guard show, though it was a wasted effort; the kami knew quite well that he had been. Still, he would not react noticeably. Bearing was the most important thing in any dealings with those of such power as the gods.

"Does this surprise you, then?" he asked calmly as he turned to face the god. "This one is well aware that the kami plan for everything – it is easy to understand that you knew from the beginning that he would."

Omoikane watched the daiyoukai through heavily-lidded eyes, amusement shining in the flashes of them that were visible.

"True, true. And if we had _not_ known, your sire would have told us." At the spark in Sesshoumaru's eyes, he chuckled. "Did you not know, then, that your father would be ever just as vigilant over his sons in death, as he was in life?"

Considering that piece of information carefully for a moment, Sesshoumaru did not answer the god, instead asking, "Will I gain any answers here this day, or will you simply amuse yourself with my presence?"

At that, the god sobered, and a stern look crossed his face. "It is not the place of any of those bound to the earth to question what we choose to do or not do, Sesshoumaru. You are powerful - but you are not a god. Do not forget your place." After a few moments, when the daiyoukai merely continued to watch him, he sighed, and gestured for him to follow.

Sesshoumaru did so; keeping his eyes pinned to the kami, he did not notice how they were suddenly in another place for several moments, the shrine simply disappearing from around them as though it had never been.

When he finally did notice, curious, he looked around, wondering at where the god had brought him. It was a strange place...

All around them, mist flowed steadily, weaving in and out of the peaks and valleys of a mountain range that Sesshoumaru was certain did not actually exist – at least not in his native land. It was beautiful, but strange, the aura of the place flowing with more power than he'd ever felt before in his life, and he was quite suddenly aware that there were many kami here in these mountains.

After a time of silence, Omoikane allowing Sesshoumaru to take in all that was around him, and the feel and aura's of some of the other gods and goddesses, he spoke once more. "This is our place," he gestured gently. "It does not exist, as I'm sure you are aware, within your realms. It is here that we first debated the creation of _change_." He laid a peculiar emphasis on that word, catching Sesshoumaru's attention.

"Change?" he murmured questioningly, hoping the god would expound on that statement. He did.

"Yes. The world was decaying, in a sense. When we created it, everything within it moved at a certain speed. And that was as it should be. However, after a time, that speed began to slow... the changes that should have taken place within our creation at set times, began to fail, until nothing changed any more." He stopped speaking, his dark, knowing eyes looking out over his paradise for a time as he contemplated things Sesshoumaru had never had a need to.

"Change is necessary, as I am sure you are aware. Without it, the world began to die. That was not part of our plan – so we needed to create something that could fix that problem. Some of us..." he trailed off with a sigh, silent for a second, then picked up his words once more, "wanted to let your world destroy itself, and start again. But... most of us did not. And so... we came together, here, and began to debate. What could we do, to save our creation?"

Fascinated, Sesshoumaru barely moved, not wanting to miss one word of what was being said, even as the god turned once more to look at him.

"Some of us soon came to a conclusion, and once we managed to persuade the majority of the rest of the kami, we set our plans in motion. You have seen the results of our labors... Kagome. You were correct, in your assumptions that she was created to bring change to everything she touches. But there is much mystery to her, still – even we kami do not know everything she is for, or all that she is capable of."

Brow rising into his bangs in near shock, Sesshoumaru asked, "You made her a mystery even to yourselves?"

Omoikane laughed, and to Sesshoumaru's surprise, suddenly, it wasn't the same kami he had been speaking to. Instead, a female voice responded, though her aspect remained hidden, those swirling mists hiding the kami's morphing form from his eyes. "It was necessary, son of the Taisho. In order to be effective, Kagome had to be free to effect change on her own, with no guidance from us – or it would not be true change, merely the will of one or possibly more of us."

_Is it not the will of the gods that makes the world run the way that it does?_

"No," yet another voice answered his thought. "We created the world – but we have better things to do than to sit over it to make sure things continue to go the way we wanted. The less interference, the better, after all. And there are other realms, other realities to create, you know. There is an entire universe out there, Sesshoumaru, and it is endless. We do not have any desire to remain only here."

"That is why you created Kagome, then," he murmured in a tone of discovery, though he was really speaking to himself. "She is here to do what you do not want to do yourselves – she is here to watch over this part of your creation."

"In essence, yes," a chorale of voices answered him, "though there is a bit more to it than that. The gods do not change things, Sesshoumaru – we create instruments of change, such as Kagome, and then let them do what we created them to do."

He looked up, then, from the ground beneath him that he had been staring at, deep in thought. "So then – what is Kagome Higurashi? I know what she is supposed to do now, in a general way, but that still does not answer _what_ she is."

"Is that so important? What are you, Sesshoumaru? What is anything? Kagome was right – too often, people, youkai and human, miss out on the truth of things in this creation because of their need to define everything. Some things have no definition – they just are. She is what she was created to be. It is enough," the voices said, before the form of the kami before him once more became Omoikane.

"Think of her as an avatar of the gods, Sesshoumaru, and you will not be far off. But by trying to define her as either youkai or human, you are failing to understand – there is much in creation that is neither of those two things," he said gently.

"You are blessed of the kami, Sesshoumaru – none besides your father himself has received such a clear answer to your question. If you choose to continue searching for more clearly defined answers, your search will no longer lie in the realms of the gods – we have said all we have to say on the subject."

As the gods words faded in the air around him, he found himself once more standing inside the honden, alone, just as though he'd never left. Taking a long moment to gather his thoughts after such a strange visit, he looked around once more at the plain room he stood in, and then turned, letting himself out, avoiding any contact with the priests that guarded the shrine. He had no desire to speak to another at this point in time; he wanted to find a quiet place and contemplate all he had been told. He frowned for a moment as he took flight from the top of the shrine stairs – he had not had a chance to ask certain of his questions, though in the end it did not matter, as the kami had answered only what they had seen fit to answer, anyway.

Aggravating... but not unexpected.

He had to admit, what he had been given was, in a way, more than he had expected. He could take consolation in that, at the very least.

~oOo~

_She is an avatar of the gods, or close enough to one... and that is all that they are willing to tell me – the only attribute they will give her. And she was created to effect change, but on a much larger scale than I had expected. _

_Truly... she is change. _He thought about that for a while, his mind so preoccupied that he did not even pay any attention to the beautiful view of the lands stretching away before him. He was blinded to the wonder around him by the wonder that was Kagome.

_So, she was created to be the answer of the kami to the loss of change in creation. That means that her influence is impossible to define – it is too large. Does she know the extent of things? Somehow... I doubt it.  
><em>

It seemed to him that the kami had allowed Kagome free reign over their creation, but she was doing what she was supposed to on instinct, rather than actual knowledge. She had no full-knowledge of what she was, or the things she could do. At least not yet.

_I can understand the kami's reasons for doing things in such a manner – after all, her untutored responses to the stimuli around her were what the kami wanted. _

But what he did not understand was the reference by Omoikane-kami-sama to his father. _Why did he deliberately bring father into our discussion? What does father have to do with this whole thing?_

It occurred to him then, that in a roundabout way, perhaps the kami was giving him the nod that his father did, indeed, have some answers? After all, he had already considered going to the underworld to confront his sire about his reasons for Tenseiga. It just seemed so convenient – to have given him a sword he would have had no use for... under normal circumstances. It wasn't as if Tenseiga wouldn't have worked just as well to subdue Inuyasha's youkai blood – so that couldn't be the only reason that instead, it had been he, Sesshoumaru, to receive it.

_It seems as if father was more involved with this situation than I had thought, if the kami-sama are bringing it to my attention._

He narrowed thoughtful eyes still blind to the scenery on the blue expanse of the sky above himself, his mind moving swiftly to a conclusion.

_Yes... I think it is time to use the Tenseiga for something more than restoring lives. It is a key to the underworld, the fang of heaven – and so I will use it as such. A key. _

_It is time to visit father..._

_I would have an answer to the question of Tenseiga... and perhaps, a few other things as well._

Decision made, he stood and leapt from the precipice he had been sitting on, heading for the Gates to the Underworld. He would once more face them...

And their guardians.

~oOo~

Once more standing before the stone portal that guarded the underworld, Sesshoumaru drew Tenseiga, and the gate began to open, its bright light only emphasizing the huge stone guardians on their knees behind him. He paid them no more attention than he did the last time he visited – at least, after they had backed down and left him to access the underworld at his will.

Taking to flight once more after sheathing the sword, Sesshoumaru headed straight for his father's remains, knowing now that with Tenseiga, he could commune with his father's spirit anytime he so chose.

Not that he would often be bothered to make the trip just for casual chat, but when necessary... he looked around at the odd, and rather bleak, threshold of the underworld that his father now called home, and shivered just a little – he would not like to be forced to exist in this empty place.

Then again, he allowed to himself, it wasn't truly empty, and his father was no longer one of the living – it was very possible that he was quite comfortable in this place. It was a question to ask... one of simple curiosity, unlike his other questions.

Within minutes, he arrived before the gigantic skeletal remains of his father, trapped in a halfway transformed state. He wondered about that – it appeared as though he had died right in the midst of his transformation, a decidedly odd thing. For had he not died in the burning remains of the shiro of Inuyasha's mother, fighting with Takemaru, and chasing him into hell at both their deaths? What had actually occurred during those last few moments of life... and why was his fang still broken?

That question paused him in his tracks, setting aside all other questions in his mind. Yes, he knew that his father had used a fang to seal Ryokotsussei – but his father had lived for several hours after that, and that broken fang would have healed within minutes, even considering his mortal wound. In fact, even the wound had not in and of itself been fatal for a being as powerful as his father – it had only become so because of his determination to reach the human woman and his further battles to get to her side. If he had gone to rest himself, he would have been fine.

It was that very thing that had so angered him about Inuyasha's existence – if not for the whelp, his sire would still be among the living. At least, it was one of several reasons for his dislike of his half-brother...

That particular angst was long past, however; the Inu no Taisho had chosen his own fate, and it held no purpose to blame another for his choices. Setting that aside, his brow furrowed as he considered his father's remains with a rather discerning eye. Everything else appeared intact, save that one fang... and since it should have already repaired itself before his death, he had to wonder – what had happened to it? If it had remained at the site of his death, for whatever reason, it would have been known due to its sheer size – unless it was in another state, he thought suddenly, his hand idly stroking over Tenseiga's wrapped hilt.

_Is that it, father? Was there some purpose to you giving up another fang in the moments before your death? Or was it even earlier – before you met up with Myoga, and he tried to reason with you? It seems the mystery surrounding your death deepens, just as the one around Kagome herself does. For every answer that is gained, a new one takes its place._

Eyes narrowing, he reached across and drew the sword with an elegance that none now living but he could effect, and as its power thrummed through the air, gathering in the sword in a cascade of brilliant light. After letting the power build for a moment, he swung it with a fierceness rarely seen in him, unleashing the full might of the Tenseiga – his father's fang, for the very first time.

The power flared, at first exploding outward from the blade to encompass the entire area, making his clothing and hair billow with the force of it, then it spread out in a cascading corona to surround all of his father's massive remains...

And the entire verge of the underworld shook with the demand that came from Tenseiga, as its hold on the one known as the Inu no Taisho loosened, allowing his soul to break free and heed the clarion call of the Fang of Heaven.

Sesshoumaru watched in silent awe as the true power of the Sword was revealed, his father's soul infusing his remains with an explosion of youki that shook the underworld even more, his terrible and massive spirit surrounding his skeleton with a whirlwind of sheer force, obscuring it from view for several long moments.

When it cleared...

His father stood before him once more, his remains no longer where they had been for over two centuries. And Sesshoumaru was left with eyes widened as he dropped his gaze to stare at the sword, completely taken aback at the power that he had been carrying around for so long – all along thinking it nearly useless.

"I never knew," he murmured to himself.

"Was it useless because the forging of it did not take innocent blood, as did your Tokijin, Sesshoumaru?" came his father's voice, after a moment of silence. Sesshoumaru looked up, then, meeting the golden eyes of the male he'd for so long aspired to be, and stared at him, for once in his life, not sure how to answer.

"The innocent blood that was used to create that devil sword you wielded for so long... tell me, then – what of your Rin? She could very well have shared those innocents fate in meeting that blade, rather than the one she did receive meeting Tenseiga, instead. So, now... which blade has more power? Which is worth more? The sword that kills, or the sword that denies death its victory, and triumphs where none other could?"

Still stunned, but unwilling to stumble before his sire, he shook his shock away, and tried to formulate his thoughts. "I have already grasped the fallacies in creating and wielding a sword the likes of Tokijin, father – which is why, though I did not gain Tessaiga from Inuyasha, I simply went without a sword save Tenseiga after Tokijin was destroyed."

His sire eyed him, then nodded. "Yes, it is apparent, by the fact that your arm has been returned to you – and the sword that now sings at your side. Its song is much more pleasing than Tokijin's ever was. But still, the question needed to be asked. For even until just a few moments ago, you were still blinded to the truth of the other blade you have carried for so long. You are not usually so slow to catch on, Sesshoumaru. Was your mind, perhaps, taken by some other interest, to the exclusion of all else?" he asked knowingly.

And that was when Sesshoumaru knew for sure that his father, had, indeed, known something of Kagome... and what his interest in her would be.

"You are alive," he said bluntly, the question obvious within his statement, and his sire nodded.

"I could be, if I so chose. Tenseiga has given me that choice. But my life is done, and I will remain here. Returning me to life was not the point of Tenseiga's creation, my son. You have always been stubborn. Tenseiga was my answer to that." The Inu no Taisho smiled, a subtle amusement sharpening his gaze just slightly. "If I had simply told you what was to be, you would have disdained it simply to spite me, personal beliefs of humans aside. No... you were never amenable to simply being given the truth. You had to be led, slowly, to the answers. Does that anger you? That I knew what I did, even so long ago, and prepared for it?"

The younger daiyoukai knew exactly what his father was alluding to – Kagome. So, since he had opened the door... "How did you know?"

"How did I know any of what I knew, Sesshoumaru? How did I create the Tenseiga to defeat death from my own fang? Is death and rebirth not the province of the kami? The decision to create the woman and her actual _creation_ did not happen in a short time. The gods do not work on our time scale. It covered eons... and they made sure to set everything in motion that would be needed, or that was deemed necessary – _including_ her reward for doing the duty the kami gave to her."

_Reward? _Sesshoumaru frowned inwardly at that, not sure he liked what his father's words were intimating. _I was created... as her... reward? Is that all I am, then? _"And I am just to accept this fate, then? A reward for a creation of the kami – something they made to fix their own mistakes?" he asked, his manner suddenly stony.

And his father laughed at him.

"Sesshoumaru, have you not yet realized that we are all created with some purpose? Nothing in this creation of the kami is purposeless, though most never know for sure what that purpose was, and pass on just as clueless as they came in. And some have very negative purposes – Naraku comes to mind. His reward... is definitely not one that any would aspire to. Is your purpose then so unpleasant, when you had already accepted it – before you even knew of it? Your choice was your own, Sesshoumaru, have no fear of that." He sighed at his son's deepening cold. "Just because the kami knew what your choice would be, does not mean they made if _for_ you. Tell me... your little ward. There are things that you know about her – how she will react to certain stimuli, yes?"

Attention arrested, Sesshoumaru stared at his father. "Yes..." he trailed off.

"Does that mean that you have made the choice for her, then, in any given circumstance?"

Just that quickly, Sesshoumaru's thoughts froze, and he completely forgot himself, lost in his own mind as he took in his father's words.

_Surely not... it is simple sophistry that father uses to confuse me. It is not the same at all, for I did not create Rin to answer to a purpose of my own. _But then his conscience pricked him, and he delved deeper into his own mind. _No... I did not create Rin, but I did save her for my own purposes, did I not? Is it not then almost the same thing? I like not being someone's reward, however... this one is not a 'prize' to be won by obedience to the gods._

He told his father just that, too.

Yet again, his sire had an answer.

"Do you not understand, pup, that she is also _your_ reward?"

He could hear the displeasure in his father's voice at his recalcitrance, and narrowed his eyes.

"Reward?" he murmured. "For what? What have I done that the kami would think to reward me?" he asked, sarcasm coating his tone.

"You are – _slowly_, admittedly – becoming what you were meant to be," he said wryly. "Would you prefer to be punished, instead, for refusing yourself your own happiness, simply for spite? I would have thought that after all this time, Sesshoumaru, you would have learned not to fight against fate simply because it is preordained. Must you be so willful? Would you cut off your nose to spite your face?"

"Why did you facilitate the plans of the kami in regards this matter, father? Did they really need your interference, your gift of this fang, to get me to cooperate in their plans?"

The great and deadly General looked at his son with sadness in his eyes. "Is it wrong, then," he murmured, "for a father to wish to see his son happy? Would you not do what you could to give the child Rin the same? Do not tell me no, Sesshoumaru – I have seen the things you have done for that child. Tell me, why is it so wrong for me to have done the same?"

That question, combined with the look in his father's eyes, caused guilt to swell sharply within him, and he growled, not used to such a useless emotion. He was not one to regret, or to feel guilt in his dealings with others – at least, not very often. He didn't like it now, either, but could find no defense against it.

Because his father was right. He had forgotten what it was like to have a parent, his mother aside, one that cared for him, in his life. It had been so long since he had felt such a thing, for even before his death, the circumstances of the General's liaison with Inuyasha's mother, and his preoccupation with his second son's impending birth, had caused him to push away from his sire. Only within his own mind could he admit the reason for his reaction to the sibling he had hated from the moment of his conception – simple jealousy.

He had wanted to keep his father for himself.

Sharing, at least at that point, hadn't been something he'd been very good at. It still wasn't – though he was a bit better at it now.

He had, at least, learned some things in the intervening years.

Tacitly giving his father the ground on that matter, he instead asked, "And the broken fang?"

Taking Sesshoumaru's change of subject for exactly what it meant, his father nodded at him, understanding his question. "A minor matter, Sesshoumaru – there is no mystery there. What do you think Saia used to seal Sou'unga for those five hundred years? My fang, broken or not, worked quite well to keep his evil energy sealed away – for a time, anyway."

"Hn." He considered his sire for several seconds. "And Kagome? Will I ever have the answer to the Lotus?"

At that, his father laughed again, his eyes lit with mirth as he shook his head at his son. "Have you not already been told, repeatedly, Sesshoumaru? She is. That is the answer to the Lotus, as Bokuseno so aptly named her. She is mystery, yes – but she is also truth. She is an avatar of the gods, she is change personified. _She is. _What else is there? No, she is not youkai, no, she is not kami, and no, she is not really even human. It does not _matter. _Some mysteries were not meant to be known – or they would not be mysteries. If she could be so easily explained, she would not be the Lotus, ne?"

His eyes lowered to the rock beneath his feet, and his mind churned with his father's words. _Is it really so pointless to question, then? For his words are correct – not every mystery can be known. Some things need no answers... is she truly one of them?_

_But then again... there is an answer. She is change personified, is what father said. I am the personification of my youki... it is not so different, I suppose._

He sighed aloud, something he rarely did, and his eyes once more focused on his sire as he accepted his elder's words. After all, he had already decided that it did not matter to his desires towards her – and even knowing that the kami had created him for her, did not, in the end, change his mind.

He still wanted her.

At least he was assured that he would have her, though that had never really been a question in his mind. He almost always got what he wanted.

"You are sure that you will remain here?"

The mighty Inu no Taisho merely nodded, saying not another word.

Sesshoumaru watched his father for a moment, then inclined his head in a silent goodbye and took to the air, his mind so full of what he had learned this day, and all that had happened, that he did not even think to try to convince his sire to return to the earth with him.

~oOo~

As morning gave way to afternoon, Sesshoumaru stirred slightly from his contemplation of all that had passed that day, finally taking in the view he had always loved. High above the surrounding lands, the vantage point he was currently standing on was his favorite place in all the West. From it, he could see clearly over almost the entirety of the northern half of his lands.

It was a place he spent a great deal of time, truthfully, especially when his mind was unsettled as it had been this day. But as always, a sojourn here soothed him, allowing him to once more turn himself back to his usual calm, collected persona.

_I will bring Kagome here. She would enjoy the view, as well, I believe – and I did say I would show her the things I consider important in my world, as she did for me in hers._

The thought of bringing her here did not displease him, on the contrary, sharing a place so sacred to himself with her seemed right, as if it were something that should be done.

_Perhaps it is... _he thought idly. His mind then turned back to his meeting with his father, and he frowned, annoyed with himself. He'd once more allowed his sire to knock him off-kilter, and that was unacceptable. In all his centuries, his father was the only one to be able to do that – and it had always made him feel like a pup with little experience of the world.

Even now, it was the same. From the first few words, his father had had him at a disadvantage, and kept him there. It frustrated Sesshoumaru that he had still not managed to meet his sire on equal ground. Though he had recovered better, and quicker, this time than ever before, so that was some ground gained, at least.

With an inward sigh, he once more gathered his ice around himself, then centered his mind, taking to the air to return to Inuyasha's village.

It was time to go back to the source of all his questions – and recent frustrations.

_Kagome..._

~oOo~

Kagome sighed, chin in hand as she rolled her eyes at her hanyou best friend.

He'd been ranting and lecturing all morning – ever since Sesshoumaru had up and disappeared without a single word.

And frankly, it was getting old.

"Inuyasha."

Mid-rant, Inuyasha froze – when Kagome spoke in that tone, nothing good came of it, and he knew it. "What?" he asked cautiously, eyeing her nervously.

"If, as you are so convinced, Sesshoumaru has seen the error of his ways, and has left, having no more interest in me, why are you still carrying on about how I should push him away and avoid him?" she asked as she watched him, a rather bored expression on her face that didn't fool him for a minute.

"Keh! All I'm sayin' is, if he does come back, you gotta watch your back," he responded. "Just to be on the safe side. Come on, Kagome – you know what he's like – a woman like you wouldn't be good for his 'reputation'," he spat, "even if you aren't exactly human like we all thought. You ain't youkai, either – and that's all he'll care about." He blushed and looked away, then, not able to meet her eyes. "I know you're attracted to him, and... I just want you to be safe," he finally sighed, still looking elsewhere. "I don't want to see him use you and then throw you away."

He was stunned to hear her _laugh_. Whipping his head back around to stare at her, he gaped at the mirth in her eyes.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Why ever would _Sesshoumaru_ of all people want a 'one-night stand' with me? I'm sure he's got better things to do than me," she giggled, absolutely loving the gape-jawed expression on his face at her less than proper quip. "Lighten up. Everything will work out just fine, you'll see. You need to calm down about your brother – all this excitement isn't good for you."

She stood up from the stump she'd been sitting on while he'd lectured her, and walked by with a jaunty swing to her step, pinching his cheek as she went. "Come on... let's go back to the village now, and get some lunch. I'm starved!"

Sputtering, and totally incoherent at the way she'd completely brushed him off, he followed, not understanding her attraction to the bastard at all.

"Kagome," he murmured, not willing to give up the subject.

"Inuyasha," she chirped cheerily back, "get over it. Whatever happens between me and your brother stays there – it doesn't concern anyone else. I know you want to protect me, but you can't protect me from life – and this situation is a part of that. End of discussion."

With a disgruntled growl, the hanyou finally gave up – for the time being, stomping into the hut behind her and accepting a bowl of stew from Kaede before sinking sullenly to the floor and proceeding to ignore Kagome and everyone else.

Kagome just shrugged and took her bowl of stew from Kaede with thanks, then turned and left the hut, choosing to go and eat under the trees at the edge of the forest where it was cooler. On a whim, she took her Ipod out of her obi and slipped her earphones on, in the mood to listen to some music.

She almost choked on her first bite of stew at the first song that came on... _Oh, the irony... _an American pop song called Right Kind of Wrong. She'd heard it quite some time back, and every time, it brought Sesshoumaru to her mind.

_'… but I can't help it that I'm helpless everytime that I'm where you are... you walk in and my strength walks out the door, say my name and I can't fight it anymore...'*_

A little smile crossed her face at those lyrics. _Damned if they aren't dead on, too. Anytime he's around I'm a bumbling idiot – or at least, I feel like one. And when he says my name...!_

She sighed, that silly little smile still on her face as she set her bowl aside and began singing along with the words. She really, really loved that song...

"A foreign language, Kagome?" came a silky baritone, and she cut off in mid-song, her heart jumping in her chest as Sesshoumaru's aura suddenly washed over her with all the potency and intoxication of opium.

Her head whipped up to stare at him, hand against her throat, but the words to chastise him caught in her throat at the sight of him; cold and pristine as he looked, it was deceiving – Sesshoumaru was heat and passion all hidden away behind a smokescreen. She watched with rapt attention as his fingers idly stroked through his hair sensously, before brushing the lock back over his shoulder, and whimpered softly – it just wasn't fair what this male could do to a woman without even trying.

Ignoring the speculative expression that settled on his face at her reaction, she forcibly wrenched her mind to his question. Clearing her throat, she said, "Yes. It's called English. In my era, it's pretty much the most spoken language in the world. I'm fairly fluent, though it's a rather strange language, and confusing to learn. They kind of talk backwards, and they read from left to right, instead of right to left like we do."

"Hn. Odd, as you say. What other knowledge do you possess, I wonder?" he murmured, staring at her thoughtfully.

Kagome shivered at the heat that flashed through his eyes just for a second, her own brow furrowing in confusion at the sight. Why had he looked at her like that – even for just a moment?

"Umm, yeah..." she trailed off for a second, flustered, and then managed to recover herself and answer his question. "Well, I know a lot of different things... but there's even more that I don't know. The more I learned, the faster it became apparent how much I didn't know – and probably never would. There's so much knowledge out there," she sighed, "that it's strictly impossible for one not the kami to know everything."

"An esoteric answer – but correct, in any case. I am finding the same thing in my studies of a certain subject. The more I know of you, the more it seems there is to know."

She stared at him for a moment, nonplussed, then stood up and, putting away her Ipod, started to walk back to Kaede's to gather the lunch dishes so they could be washed. It was a small chore for her, but it helped the elderly miko greatly, and she was glad to do it.

There was no surprise that Sesshoumaru chose to walk along beside her.

"You know... I really don't understand why you seem to find me so... fascinating. I'm just one more living thing in a world full of them. Why are you _really_ so intent on digging up answers on me?" she asked, a frown crossing her face as she pondered her own question.

It was one that Sesshoumaru also found his attention drawn by. Why _was_ he so determined to find out what she was?

Certainly, the answer that he had given her before was valid – she kept him from boredom with the mystery that was her. But... such a simple answer couldn't cover the depths of his determination to know her. So what was it? It was a question that a corner of his mind began to churn over, and it would continue to do so until he had his answer.

Of course, it went without saying that when he did get his answer, he would choose to keep it to himself – and let Kagome speculate over it as he had over her for so long. Let her be drawn closer to him by fascination with unanswered questions... just as he had been to her.

Fair was fair, after all.

Their quiet walk was broken by the appearance of a severely irritated Inuyasha, who couldn't resist antagonizing his brother.

"Feh," he snapped out in disgust, "and here I was hoping you'd have gone away. Why the hell are you back, anyway? Don't you understand that it don't matter what Kagome is yet? She's just Kagome, and that's all that counts. There. Question answered,_ now_ you can _go away._"

Inuyasha was determined to protect Kagome from the older brother he'd heard too many rumors of from a young age to trust. The male never differed in how he treated females – he got in, took what he wanted, then left without looking back. He probably had forgotten the face of the female five minutes after he'd left her – and Inuyasha couldn't stand the thought of what such a thing would do to Kagome's heart.

If the bastard wasn't so heartless, and he could be sure he was serious about her, much as Inuyasha hated the thought of them being together, he would step back. All he wanted was for Kagome to be happy.

He wasn't stupid – he knew she'd had feelings for him back during the quest for the jewel. But he couldn't see Kagome the same way, for some reason. Oh, he loved her, there was no denying that – but it wasn't a passionate love. And he was convinced that Kagome would one day find the one she was meant to be with. The thought that it might, just _might_, be his bastard of a brother, squicked him no end, but if it was meant to be, then he'd somehow come to terms with it. He would never stand in the way of her happiness.

But that was the problem – he had no way of knowing for sure that Sesshoumaru wanted more than a satiation of his curiosity, and maybe his libido, as well. With narrowed eyes, Inuyasha silently vowed that if his brother despoiled Kagome, and then left her as he had every other female he'd ever touched, he _would_ find a way to kill him.

Kagome was no whore to be tossed aside once enjoyed.

He was brought back from his thoughts of vengeance by Kagome's sigh, and irritated sidelong glance at him. He folded his hands into his sleeves and huffed in acceptance of her silent demand to desist in harassing his brother – grudgingly.

Sesshoumaru knew full well what his brother's problem was, and though he found it amusing in a way, he had no intention of treating Kagome the way Inuyasha was worried he would.

No... what Inuyasha was missing was that he, Sesshoumaru, had always stuck with those females that were rather free with their favors, usually in hopes to trap a male to their sides. They were trying to use him, so he had no qualms in using them right back.

Kagome was another story altogether. He would never deflower a maiden of her status in such a manner – it would reflect the highest dishonor on him and his lineage. That wasn't even mentioning the fact that a one time tryst was nowhere near what he desired from her, anyway. He would never be satisfied with that.

But he wasn't about to enlighten the whelp – he should have been smart enough to figure it out. As usual, though, when the matter had anything to do with him, Inuyasha became irrational, and any intelligence he might have had went right out of his head.

_Let him worry, and wonder. When I take her as mine, then he will know, and have no choice but to accept it._

He dismissed that line of thought, then, and his brother, both with indifference. After all, Inuyasha was not important in the scheme of things. He was a simple nuisance that could be – mostly – ignored.

"When you have seen to your chore, Kagome, I will find you." At her questioning look, he asked, "I promised to show you the parts of my world that hold importance to me, did I not?"

Kagome's face brightened at that.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you did. So you're going to take me today?" she asked eagerly.

The daiyoukai ignored his brother's rolled eyes and petulant pout, keeping his gaze pinned to Kagome. "I would not have mentioned it otherwise."

"Okay!"

Both males watched silently as Kagome hurried off, a bright smile of anticipation on her face – at least until she was out of earshot.

"I have already warned you about interfering, Inuyasha – I will not do so again," he said, his voice deadly as he palmed Bakusaiga pointedly, golden eyes slitted and icy. He wanted his brother to know the consequences of said interference.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed just as much as his hand grasped Tessaiga in response. "Keh! And _I'm_ warning _you_, Sesshoumaru – hurt Kagome, and I _will_ find a way to kill you." With that, he spun on his heel and walked off, leaving his brother behind him to watch with frigid eyes.

_You are welcome to try, Inuyasha._

_I almost dare you._

~oOo~

First annotation: I could not come up with a specific shrine for Omoikane, so I created one for this story strictly from my own imagination.

Second annotation: Honden – according to Japan , the honden is the main hall of the shrine, where the sacred artifact is usually kept in the innermost chamber.

Third annotation: Haiden – the offering hall. The honden and haiden could be one building, or two.

Fourth annotation: Shimenawa - A shimenawa is a straw rope with white zigzag paper strips (gohei). It marks the boundary to something sacred and can be found on torii gates, around sacred trees and stones, and the like. It is what the Goshinboku at Kagome's home shrine has wrapped around it in her era.

Fifth annotation: I do not own the rights to the song Right Kind of Wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

An hour later found Kagome held within Sesshoumaru's arms as he flew them towards the first stop on his planned tour – his favorite perch over the northern regions of the west. There would be other stops, but this first one was one he wanted her to see first during the day.

She was quiet, looking around with wonder, the expression on her face pleasing him greatly. He had wondered if she would fear heights as he was aware that many humans did, but it was apparent that she did not suffer from that same affliction. There was nothing in her expression but awe.

He watched her with a quiet amusement as he flew them towards their destination, intrigued once again by the play of pleasure across her face and in her eyes. _So expressive_, he mused. _She hides nothing of herself away._

He'd never seen a person, human or otherwise like her, and a good part of that was her birth era, he was certain. The rest of it was just who she had been created to be.

But funny enough, while he'd always held those who were ruled by their emotions in high disdain he couldn't bring himself to feel that way about Kagome. His thoughts then wandered back to the undead miko that had masqueraded as one of the living for so long, and he scoffed inwardly. She'd been quite cold, showing almost no emotion towards anything except haughty contempt – rather like himself, truthfully. And yet he'd been unable to even stand the sight of her.

_It must be just because it is her. She is meant to be exactly as she is, and for her to be any other way would be blasphemous. _He thought about that for a while, realizing that if she were to suddenly become like the dead miko or himself, stoic and cold, he wouldn't know how to handle it and he certainly wouldn't like it.

The very thought made him shudder inwardly.

His attention was brought back to his surroundings as they neared their destination and as he settled down, dissolving his cloud as their feet touched the ground, he turned her around with him before removing his arm from around her and letting her take in the breathtaking sight before her quietly.

He watched her expression closely and wasn't disappointed – awed pleasure shown in her eyes as she took in what was before her with a wide open, happy gaze.

"It's so beautiful, Sesshoumaru! However did you find this place?" she asked, unable to wrench her eyes away from the sight.

He looked out at the view himself, considering her words. After a short moment he said, "This place gives me an eagle's eye view of the northern half of my lands," sweeping an arm out to encompass the lands below them, "and I came across it once when I was searching for just such a vantage point. But the visual... it was more than I had hoped for, and it became an important place for me. I come here often when I am troubled, or wish to simply rest peacefully."

"It's a good spot for it," she murmured, finally looking away from the view and glancing up at him thoughtfully. _It's so him, _she thought, _I could just see him sitting here for hours at a time staring at the view. _"I bet it's amazing at night up here."

He tilted his head in acknowledgment. "Hn."

She smiled a little and looked back out at the view, sitting down to stare her fill. She scooted over a bit as he sat down next to her. "So... what is it about this place that's the most important to you?"

He shot her a quicksilver glance from cat-slit golden eyes at her question. _The most important aspect of this spot? That would be... _"The peace that it engenders in me allows me to clear my mind when needed, which in turn gives me the chance to think clearly. At times that is most helpful." An almost rueful expression settled on his face. "I would come here frequently after encounters with Inuyasha."

At that Kagome actually laughed, humor crinkling the corners of her eyes as she grinned. "Now that I can readily believe. I almost wish _I_ had such a place – there's been many times I've needed it after dealing with him."

There was a contemplative silence for a few minutes and then Sesshoumaru spoke up, asking a question he'd wondered about at different times lately. "Tell me, Kagome. At one time you carried... feelings for the hanyou. What changed?"

Caught off-guard at that question, she looked over at him, curious. "Ano... why do you want to know about that?" she asked.

"Curiosity. Are you afraid to answer?"

"No," she said slowly, a weighing expression in azure eyes as she studied him. After a moment she said, "I'm slow to catch on sometimes, but I'm_ not _stupid. I realized a long time ago that there was too much between he and Kikyou, with myself as a third wheel, for there to ever be anything of a romantic nature between he and I. I'm quite happy not to be stuck on that idea any longer, actually."

"Hn." It grew quiet again, and stayed that way for a time as both just enjoyed the mild breeze and beautiful view. _That is a very good thing – I would not like to have to deal with unresolved feelings between the two._

After a little while Sesshoumaru stood up and held out his hand for her to take. "Come. There is another place I would show you – it is also very important to me."

A wide smile crossed her face and she placed her hand in his happily. "Really? Important... how?"

"You will see," he replied, once more forming his cloud beneath them.

She pouted just a little. "You're going to make me wait, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"No fair."

"Fair is as I make it, Kagome, and I assure you it is very fair."

Eyebrows practically in her bangs, Kagome huffed at his words and turned to stare at the view once more. _Oh, he's so darn arrogant! But if he weren't he wouldn't be Sesshoumaru, I suppose, _she decided with a sigh. _He's so difficult to get to know, though. You have to watch him constantly or you might miss the next tiny insight._

She hadn't yet realized that in this case the difficulties she was noting were deliberate on his part. He _wanted_ her to be focused solely on him – and making it a challenge such as he had was, in his considered opinion, the best way to go about it.

It was working, too... _and_ driving Inuyasha insane – which was an added benefit as far as the daiyoukai was concerned.

He had heard Kagome use the phrase 'multi-tasking', and was proud of his first forays into that phrase himself – aggravating Inuyasha and luring the miko into his clutches at the same time was a most impressive first attempt at that foreign phrase.

_It will not be long and I will have her just as fascinated with me as I am with her._

He still hadn't realized that she already was...

Though she wasn't quite ready to be his mate she was more than halfway there, and the rest wouldn't take long.

He was pulled from his thoughts by an exclamation by his guest, and looking down at her he asked, "What is it?"

Kagome pointed down at something that lay before them, and Sesshoumaru smirked when he realized what she was seeing. "That is what we have come to see, Kagome." He began to lower them towards what she was staring at so fiercely. "Welcome to the heart of the western lands."

Eyes wide, she looked up at him. "What do you mean?" She knew what that phrase meant, of course, but there'd been an odd inflection in his voice when he'd said it that indicated he was meaning something a little different.

"Just that. This place is the heart of the West. It is here that its greatest secret is found."

"Secret?" she breathed. "And you're going to show me this... secret?"

"Would I have brought you here were I not going to do so?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Knowing you? Maybe," she retorted. "Just to torment me. You _do_ enjoy such things."

"If you were Inuyasha then that would be so. But I would not waste my time to bring you here merely to turn and leave immediately."

"Hm," she said wryly, shooting him an amused look. "I just bet."

He smirked at her a little and then settled gently to the ground as his cloud dissipated beneath him, reluctantly letting go of the tiny woman. He watched her closely as she looked around curiously.

After a few minutes a slight frown creased her brow and she looked at him, a bit confused. "Why does it seem... not right?" she asked. "This place, I mean. It seems... fake."

He nodded approvingly. "Very good. You are correct. What most people see and what is actually here are two different things." A pulse moved through the air as he allowed his youki to rise, a pink shimmer beginning to swirl around him, and before Kagome's eyes an answering shimmer phased into being right before her. Sesshoumaru took her arm and led her directly into the area that was pulsing...

And her eyes widened in awe as she looked around, shocked.

They were in a different place entirely.

"What... what is this, Sesshoumaru?" she asked, turning in a circle as she strove to take in everything she was seeing.

"My home," he said softly while allowing his youki to fall back under his skin, the glow dying back down. "The heart of the Western Lands will never fall, Kagome – not as long as there is a Lord to protect it. Only one with my blood can even enter this place, and the barrier that protects it has been created to withstand everything but the kami themselves."

The landscape revealed before her had never known the touch of man, and Kagome sincerely hoped it never would as her eyes feasted on the wild beauty before her. Untamed wilderness lay at the heart of the West, rolling hills pierced with patches of dense trees and vining plants laying pristine and beautiful as far as the eye could see.

She shivered as she felt Sesshoumaru move up behind her, his heat dangerously close to her flesh. The shiver came again, more intense as he leaned down to speak softly into her ear.

"Look up, Kagome. Look up and see where it is that I live."

Following his exhortation she slid her eyes obediently up, and her eyes widened again; floating in the skies above the unspoiled lands beneath it was a beautiful palace surrounded by clouds that resembled Sesshoumaru's. She realized suddenly that it was his magic that was keeping it where it was.

_He's so strong... much stronger than I or Inuyasha ever realized for him to be capable of maintaining such a thing and not even showing any weakness because of it._

"It's drawing from your power to stay where it is."

A lock of silver fell over her shoulder, the strands like silk as he nuzzled into her neck, inhaling her scent and causing her knees to go weak.

"Yes," he breathed softly over the flesh of her neck and she moaned almost inaudibly; Sesshoumaru heard it though, and his body heat intensified.

"Doesn't it make you tired?" she asked softly, eyes falling closed at his barely there touches against the nape of her neck, her hair brushed aside by impatient fingers.

"No." As her scent intensified the heat output of his body did, as well; deciding to pull back so he could calm himself down he nuzzled against her fragrant nape once more, licking over the soft skin and then backing away and clamping his formidable control over himself as his black blood screamed at him, wanting to take her _now._

"W-why not?" she stammered, turning to look at him with a rosy blush painting her cheeks.

"It draws from my excess power that is stored within my pelt," he replied, smirking inwardly at her flushed cheeks.

Her brows rose as she looked at the fur draped over his shoulder. "Oh... I didn't realize it was for anything," she replied.

"Everything I wear or carry has a purpose, Kagome. I do not wear anything for simple vanity – it is a waste, and unneeded in any case," he said calmly.

She rolled her eyes at that piece of egotism, not willing to say aloud that he was perfectly correct – the male would probably look even better naked than he did dressed.

_No probably about it!_ her traitorous thoughts shouted.

"So," she asked after a moment, "do you and Rin and Jaken live in that castle alone?"

"There are servants," he said, stepping up to her and once more wrapping his arm around her waist as his cloud formed beneath their feet and he lifted them towards the castle floating on clouds in an otherwise clear sky. "Magical constructs for now, until I am ready to take up full-time residence here."

She looked a bit confused. "Huh? Don't you live there now?"

"It is technically my home, however those born of my line do not typically take up full-time residence until we are mated," he responded.

Kagome looked down at that. "Oh, I see. Kind of like in my world when a couple gets married and moves into their first home together."

"Hn," he said absently as he landed at the castle's gates, his eyes inspecting everything as he let go of her and moved to pass through them.

Kagome noted his busy eyes and stayed silent, allowing him time to look over his home while she did the same, eyes wide and awed at the beauty of the place.

Despite the fact that technically the castle was empty of anything truly living it surprisingly didn't feel that way, and Kagome was very confused. She didn't realize that Sesshoumaru had noted that until he spoke.

"What is wrong?"

Startled, her eyes swung to him and then away again as she tried to figure out why the place seemed so warm and welcoming. That was definitely not something she would have ever thought to find coming from a place that the cold-natured Sesshoumaru called home.

_Though I'm beginning to wonder just how deep that ice really goes, _she thought.

"Oh, ano, well... it's just that you said no one really lives here right now, ne?" When he inclined his head in the affirmative she continued. "Well, you'll probably think me crazy or something, but this place doesn't feel empty – and it almost feels like... like it's welcoming me."

Little did she know that she'd just made his day. The castle only did that for it's owner – and his ideal mate. In all the centuries since the place had been built never once had it chosen wrongly, the one that the castle chose always becoming the mate of the ruling daiyoukai at some point. Except in his father's case, but that was a different story for many, many reasons.

"You are not mistaken," he finally said, not looking at her. "The magic that created it is sentient after a fashion. It is letting you know that it approves of you."

"Oh," she said, eyeing him and then the castle again rather dubiously, not sure what to make of the whole thing but eager to see more. "Well, that's nice of it. I'm glad it didn't decide it hated me or something. That would be rather uncomfortable."

He smirked at her, motioning for her to follow. "Come, Kagome. Let me show you my home."

She nodded silently, simply looking around at everything as he strode in through the wide open doors and following him rather absently. And every moment she felt as though she were being looked at by friendly eyes as if, were she to stare at a spot just a little longer, she'd actually see whoever was there. But she couldn't see anyone, just feel presences. At first it bothered her, but after a little while when she felt nothing but welcoming vibes she stopped worrying about it and simply enjoyed the tour Sesshoumaru seemed to be taking her on.

Walking along a pillar-lined hall he led her to a set of great doors, and sliding them open, motioned for her to step inside – and as she did her mouth fell open at the opulent grandeur laid out before her.

It was an audience hall, huge and open, with supporting pillars lined in gold against floor and ceiling and painted red and black. Stylized silver inu paced the edges of the great room and a huge mural of two huge inu entirely covered one wall, in front of which what appeared to be a small throne sat, with a slightly smaller one set to its left.

Everything was highly polished, so much so that in the black lacquer of the walls and pillars you could see your reflection, and set at different points along the walls were extremely detailed nature scenes, all deliberately placed to catch the natural ambient lighting of the room. It was absolutely beautiful, and Kagome couldn't even get a coherent word out, staring with awe and flashing an impressed look at the daiyoukai.

He simply seemed to expect her reaction; leading her to one particular painting he said, "The paintings you see here are details from different places within the heart of the West. But look closely..." he trailed off, and Kagome, frowning now, did so...

And almost jumped with shock as she watched the trees in the so-called painting actually moving to an unfelt breeze, and as the water in the river in the piece of art flowed as well, the birds painted within it moving just as freely. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.

"What...?" she whispered, awed.

"It is a painting, and yet it is not. What you see happening in the painting is actually happening in that particular place within this area. These paintings only represent this hidden heart of the Western Lands, and not the more chaotic outside areas of the West." He shrugged. "Too many times, with other youkai and humans also added to the mix, any kind of painting of those places would only show death and destruction."

Kagome blinked, thinking that through, and something occurred to her. "But it would be useful to have certain places, ones that are hotspots for trouble in a painting such as this... it would be like having access to what's happening there twenty-four seven," she said, and was a bit surprised when he glanced approvingly at her as though she'd passed a test.

"And I do have such in my study – that is a much more appropriate place for paintings that are used for security rather than beauty," he replied, and Kagome smiled, pleased that she'd caught something he seemed to have wished her to. "This room, however, is used for a different purpose. This room is meant to impress. Actually," he said, gesturing as though to encompass the whole of the palace, "this whole palace is meant to impress. No other place like it exists anywhere in any of the other cardinal lands – the silver Inu of the West being the only race of youkai with anywhere close to enough power and wealth to put on such a display."

He sounded proud, and looking around again Kagome had to admit he had plenty of reason to be – she'd never known just what the inu of the West were truly the heirs to until now. That brought something up...

"I know that you don't like your brother, Sesshoumaru – but really, is he completely broke and truly a vagabond when his father was a Lord and his brother is also?" she asked, skepticism in her voice.

Casting her a weighing look, he considered his words for a few moments and then said, "No, you are correct – Inuyasha is a prince of the West, second son and half human or not. My father's proud blood still flows in his veins, and he has proven his strength. There are very few full youkai with Inuyasha's power, and that has earned him much respect in the youkai realm, you would be surprised to see." He looked away, a musing look on his face as he continued, "When we were inside Naraku and he was possessed by Magatsuhi, I at first thought his mind would be overwhelmed. But he fought it off... and when you threw him Tessaiga and his youketsu appeared when he drew forth the dragon-scaled ability of the sword, I was surprised at the size and power of it."

Nodding encouragingly, she smiled at him, pleased to see that his opinion of his brother had changed so much.

"Do you know why the forest near the village is called 'Inuyasha's Forest'?" he asked after a moment.

"Ano... because he was pinned there for so long?" she said, rather questioningly, sounding a bit confused.

"That is true enough, from the point of view of the humans of that village. But that forest has always been his. It is a very large piece of land bordering the West, and though technically a part of it, it is autonomous. It is inherited not only from our father, but the Southern reaches of it from his mother's family. When Myouga calls him 'sama', it is not just the ramblings of an old retainer of our father's. Inuyasha is a Lord in his own right, though his land is not a cardinal point and is not as large as the West itself."

Kagome blinked, surprise writ large on her beautiful face. "Does Inuyasha know this?" she asked finally after taking in his words.

"Not truly," Sesshoumaru responded. "He protects them by instinct, it is where he lives, and in his own way he has claimed them – and no youkai alive at this time save myself is powerful enough to challenge him for them, even if they wanted them. I personally have no desire nor need to steal his inheritance."

"Hm. So... at some point, Inuyasha's going to need an heir... rather like you," she said, eyes narrowed in thought.

"It is something I have been recently considering on his behalf," Sesshoumaru admitted, ignoring the part about himself. She had no clue yet, but she would be the one bearing _his_ heir. "There are only a few of my race left... and besides Inuyasha and I, only three others are males. The rest are females. One is my mother. I will be introducing Inuyasha to his duties and each of the females very soon in preparation of a mating. I would not see our race disappear, and with Inuyasha's blood added to the mix it will diversify it enough that it will not."

"But... will a youkai female have anything to do with him, since he's hanyou?" she asked, worried. "I won't let some uppity twit hurt him, Sesshoumaru, I'm warning you right now."

Shaking his head he turned and led her slowly around the room, allowing her to look at the other paintings. "Inuyasha will have his pick of the females, Kagome. Youkai only respect power, and with the exception of my mother, none of the females left are close to him in strength. Plus, as his youkai blood is that of the great Inu no Taisho his human blood will simply be overlooked – the females will be quite amenable to a mating if he were to choose one of them, you have no need to be concerned."

She thought about his words for a few minutes and then nodded. "Okay. So... what about you? I mean... I can't really see you going for a weak female, so... are you going to look for a mate in a different clan of inu?"

Not sure what to make of the smirk that hit his face at her question, she watched him cautiously. "This one has already chosen a female, Kagome. And no, she is not inu. But it matters not, for her blood, while of a different race, will breed power untold into my line."

He wondered if she would catch on, and it seemed as if she might actually be beginning to get an inkling, because her eyes narrowed and she stared harder at him. "Oh?" she asked leadingly. "If she's not inu, then what race of youkai is she?"

"I did not say she was youkai, now did I, Kagome?" he asked silkily, stepping closer to her, crowding her space as he watched her step back into the wall in surprise at his advance. He pressed himself into her, enjoying the resulting blush that washed across her face at the same time as a hint of arousal washed across his senses from her, and his smirk widened, becoming predatory. "No... I did not say she was youkai at all. She is... something quite different," he said, reaching a finger up and trailing it down a soft cheek as her eyes widened so much he could see the whites all the way around.

"W-wait a minute," she choked out, "y-you can't possibly mean... no, no way. I'm imagining all of this." She closed her eyes tightly, to his amusement. "When I open my eyes I'll be laying underneath the Goshinboku waking from a nap – this is all a dream."

"Hn... would it make it more comfortable for you to believe that, _miko_?" he asked mockingly, calling her by a name he really hadn't much since he'd realized she wasn't one. "Hiding from my words might be possible, but hiding from my intentions is not. I have chosen the female I want, and I will have her. And she-" he trailed the tip of his clawed finger down around her chin and then back up the other petal soft cheek, "-does not seem inclined to deny me." He held up that finger as she went to speak, and finished, "If she attempts to cover her interest she will merely be lying, as I can smell quite easily the attraction she carries for me. It is, needless to say, returned in full."

"But I'm human, Sesshoumaru-" she broke off as he scoffed at her.

"Let us say for the sake of argument that you are. What of it? That will not change what is to come, Kagome. But it is a moot point, because we both know that you are quite a bit more than human." He stepped back then, just a little while letting her think he was going to back off, and then caught her eye. "It is interesting to note, however, that you are not denying me because of your own wishes but simply because you think your humanity dismisses you from my consideration."

She flushed red at that, opening her mouth to rebut that but then closing it when she found that she couldn't. _Well, of __course__ I can't... I __do__ want him. But... __mating__?_ _And why does he even want that? _"Why do you want _me_, Sesshoumaru?" she asked abruptly, his nearness definitely getting to her but not enough for that particular question to be knocked from her mind. "I may not be entirely human, but I'm not youkai either. Our children would be hanyou, there's no getting around that."

He looked amused at her question and her suspicious expression. "What is it you think I am after, I wonder? With that look on your face you must think it something reprehensible. Why does any male want a female, hm, Kagome? As for the potential offspring we would create between us-" he openly eyed her form, "-they would be _something new_. And they would not be weak, as I stated before. An entirely new race we would become the parents of. What part of that is something to object to?"

She stared at him, holding his gaze despite her embarrassment, and couldn't find anything misleading in his eyes. He was entirely serious. "None of that really answers my question," she whispered as he leaned further into her, subtly dominating her.

"Does it not, Kagome?" he whispered right back, his heated, sweet smelling breath brushing tantalizingly over her lips. "I have said that I want you – is there any other answer necessary? I desire you as you desire me, and I have no intentions of denying myself what I wish to have. Consider this your only warning. I am on the hunt, woman," he flared his nostrils and his lids lowered as her scent intensified, "and you are my prey. I _will_ have you, and it will be a very _permanent_ arrangement."

A silent gasp was torn from her lips at his words and he took shameless advantage, sweeping in and taking over her mouth like the conquering warrior he was and branding his claim into her body and soul in lines of passion-ignited flame that burned into her mind like white hot fire.

Kagome was instantly swept under, unable to fight this male that she desired so much and Sesshoumaru sensed it, her surrender igniting his passion like fire dropped into dry tinder – exploding from him in waves that nearly took the palace up with them, and only clamping his adamant-hard control over himself at the last minute kept him from taking her right where she stood. Over and over he tasted her, dragging his lips along hers and nipping them when they needed to breathe, and then deepening the kiss once more when he could stand being away from her taste no longer.

Finally tearing himself away from her before the whole complex caught on fire from his lust for the tiny woman he stared at her, eyes crimson and unrelenting. "That is what I want from you, Kagome – and I _will_ have it. Nothing less than your complete surrender and all your passion will do."

Panting and in shock, she stared at him for several long, silent moments and then asked bewilderedly, "Why did you do this to me, Sesshoumaru? Springing such a surprise on me out of the blue like this?"

"Surprise can be a most effective weapon if used correctly. In this case it has made sure that you were too shocked to fight me. I am a tactician, woman, never forget that – I plan every campaign as though it were a battle that absolutely must be won – which is why I never lose," he said bluntly, no amount of arrogance in his voice at all, merely plain fact. He stepped back from his position crowding her against the wall and allowed her to move away, watching as she immediately put a bit of distance between them and then turned to eye him uncertainly.

He watched her watch him for a few seconds and then beckoned her to follow him, leading her back out of the audience hall and down another pillar-lined corridor towards a somewhat more separate wing. Nothing was said the entire time, Kagome following mutely behind him with her eyes looking everywhere and seeing nothing and her mind in turmoil.

_Wow! That was... that was just... wow. And he wants permanent? I don't know why he thinks I'd fight him on it – I'm not stupid, after all. Sheesh... if he wants me, he can have me!_

Some might think Kagome would force him to wait until he could claim love for her; she wasn't so stupid. Even if he felt such an emotion she was positive he would never speak those words... no... his caring would all be in his actions. It would show in how he treated her, how he spoke to her, how he touched her. Which she had to admit already showed his earnest desire to be with her.

It was odd, because until the moment down below the castle when he'd nuzzled into her she'd had no inkling that he found her in any way attractive in such a manner, but looking back at it now that she knew she could see in his actions that he did. However, she was definitely surprised that he wanted more than a lighthearted affair with her. Not that she thought he would deliberately dishonor her, but they were both consenting adults...

But now she also understood Inuyasha's anxiety. She would bet ten to one he also had no idea that his brother's intentions were honorable, since even she hadn't. Honestly, thinking about it she was surprised that he hadn't gone further off the deep end than he already had over the matter. Casting a quick glance at the handsome male pacing just slightly ahead of her she idly flicked a lock of ebony over her shoulder, wondering where he was taking her as she suddenly became aware of their surroundings once again.

From the doors lining the hall she assumed they were in the family wing of the palace, an assumption that was borne out by the inu-guarded doors they came to at the end of one section of the wing away from every other room. And then she got very nervous... because if she wasn't mistaken these were his rooms, and she was about to be inside them.

Just what was he thinking...?

"You may relax your posture, Kagome," he intoned as he slid the doors open, "I am merely showing you what will be our rooms when we have mated. Though I look forward quite eagerly to that moment, today is not that day."

Relaxing instantly, she did bristle a little at his automatic assumption that she would just cave in and let him mate her... though she would. He was just not supposed to know that so easily – he was supposed to _ask_ and then wait for her to answer, not just know she was going to accept.

"So these are _your_ rooms?" she emphasized slightly, trying to distance herself a little from him and his infernal arrogance.

He looked at her from the corner of one eye, his lips tilting in open amusement once more at her expense. "Semantics, Kagome. Call them what you will, it does not change the fact that we will be living in them together very shortly. So step inside and look your fill."

Almost growling at him in rather exaggerated annoyance – she wasn't really all that annoyed, after all – she stepped inside as he had bid... and promptly lost the ability to breathe, freezing in consternation as her mind supplied very detailed and highly erotic imaginings of what he would look like laid out nude across the huge futon that was the center of the room.

Medium blue silk the exact color of the crescent on his forehead was spread across it, white pillows with the red hexagonal sakura pattern of his crest liberally scattered across them. The furnishings were all dark wood, every aspect of the room chosen to emphasize the pale perfection of the palace's master. Each wall was covered in a detailed mural showing the creation of the castle, and Kagome was instantly drawn to the walls as she followed the storyline it told in great detail.

It had taken great magics and quite a bit of time, the first three Lords of the West coming to power and leaving it before the whole thing was finished, though it appeared as though each Lord added something to the palace as a testament to their reign. She wondered idly what Sesshoumaru would be adding.

"It remains to be seen," he said when he caught her looking at him after finishing the mural. It was not hard to deduce what her question was. "There are several things I might do – time will help winnow my choices down."

She nodded. "Hey... you know, with this place not really being part of the landscape, how do you get water here for baths and the like?" she asked as the thought came to her.

"Coming from you that question is really no surprise," the daiyoukai came back with, watching her for a moment before turning to lead her towards a small shoji on one wall, sliding it open and gesturing for her to step through. He allowed her to look around, then said, "As with everything else, it is all done with magic. This heated spring and the accompanying cooler pool of water next to it are parts of the spells that took the longest to create and also take the most energy to maintain. But they are worth it," he said. "These are private, there is another set in this wing for everyone else, and one in the guest wing of the palace, as well."

_Well, should have expected that answer. No, it doesn't make any logical sense, but that's why it's called 'magic', _she sighed to herself. _I guess that was what magic was meant to do – create what logic couldn't. But boy... if I could just show this place to my old physics teacher... I'd love to hear his explanation for all of this. He'd probably have a heart attack._

"Well, that answers that I guess," she said, shrugging wryly. "You've just got _all_ the answers, don't you?" she asked rhetorically.

She really should have expected his response.

"Of course, and the sooner you realize that the sooner you will understand that you need go nowhere else for said answers," he said blandly.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to look once more at the bathing facilities, impressed despite herself, and then went back through the door into the bedchamber where she studiously avoided looking at the bed with all its sinful connotations. She glanced back at him.

"Anything else in this palace of wonders you'd like to show me?" she asked.

He regarded her silently for a moment and then simply turned and began to lead her out of the room, well aware of her refusal to peruse the bedding, and amused by it. And then something random occurred to him as they walked, and he said, "Tell me, Kagome... I am learning who you are and have realized that is a separate issue to what you are." He paused, looking at her askance, only to find her looking back at him calmly and nodding encouragingly. "I find my question has changed a little though... what do _you_ think you are?"

_And now we get down to it, _she thought. _A much better question, Sesshoumaru – and it didn't even take you that long to figure it out. _"I am an embodiment of the will of the kami. I am change incarnate, I guess you could say. Just as you are an embodiment of your youki, it's the same," she answered immediately, her tone complacent. "When all is said and done I'm simply another creation of the gods, like everything else. It's just that I'm the only one rather than just a small part of a race. Like the earth. There are other planets, but there's only one earth."

_Just that easily I have my answer. It is all in how you phrase the question, I suppose. Of course, it is much the same answer as what the kami gave me, and even father. But she stated it much more clearly. It is her defining purpose that also defines what she is. Change... I was correct to label her thus._

"You give the answer so easily this time to my query. It is somewhat frustrating, I will admit," he said, his face still. "You are basically, is what you are telling me, the kami of change."

A laugh burst from her at that, her eyes wide and filled with glee. "Oh no, Sesshoumaru, that's taking things _wayyy_ too far. I'm not a goddess, although," her amusement changed to a musing thoughtfulness, "I suppose some might see me as such a thing – a minor member of the kami. But I'm not, since they created me. One cannot be equal to or greater than what created them, after all. And the gods didn't create me to be one of them. I wouldn't want to be, anyway. Ugh.. what a horrid thought," she chuckled and shuddered.

Leading her through a set of doors out to a beautiful garden set at right angles to the family wing of the palace, he waited for her reaction to what she was seeing, for the moment ignoring her words.

He wasn't disappointed.

She stopped, stunned, turning in a circle to catch sight of everything – and then she looked _up_.

_Oh, wow... now this is how I always imagined the Hanging Gardens of Babylon should have looked had they had access to magic. It's beautiful..._

These gardens were not strictly consigned to the ground. Floating islands carried every type of flower and tree she could imagine, vining plants interwoven with bushes and slender, wind-carved tree limbs hanging over the sides of the islands and making trailing hedges that mingled with those plants and trees that were on the grounds of the palace. The breeze, passing through so many levels of flowering trees and shrubs, deciduous trees, and fruit trees heavily-laden with the scents of nature answered the question of why the interior of the palace smelled so beautiful.

The breeze seemed designed to push the scents of this particular garden into the palace proper, providing it with such a delicious ventilation that Kagome was startled – nothing her own era had come up with came anywhere near touching this place, and she wondered at his seeming surprise at what he called the 'luxuries' of her own world... they were truly not comparable to the wonders that his home contained.

"Oh, how can you bear to leave this place?" she asked, wonder thick in her voice and on her face as she struggled to look at everything, not wanting to miss a thing. She could see on the other side of the garden an entrance into another part of the castle, and it was this that Sesshoumaru began to lead her towards, walking slowly so that she could enjoy the trip more. "It's so beautiful here... why would you want to be anywhere else?"

"It is beautiful... but I was not ready to take up residence until now. Remember what I told you earlier – my line does not begin to actually live here until mated. Until then we wander. It is in our natures," he finished in answer to her questioning look.

She nodded absently, coming to a halt at the next door with a certain regret as she looked back at the gardens for one more moment before stepping inside to follow the master of the castle. "Does Inuyasha know about this place?" she asked idly, her gaze flicking around to take in the wide hall they had stepped into.

"He knows there is an ancestral home, but he has never seen it," the daiyoukai answered, leading her towards a towering set of doors at one end of the hall that had her wondering what could possibly be behind it.

_His study, maybe?_ she wondered, eyeing the doors showing a carving of the palace itself, all inlaid with gold and mother of pearl and accented with semi-precious stones. Just these doors alone would be worth hundreds of thousands in her era... it was quite possible that Sesshoumaru was wealthier than anyone in either era, and that his fortune would not be significantly reduced were it to be tallied by her own time's standards. Just the palace alone... even were it standing on the ground like any other would be worth millions.

And she was pretty sure all his wealth was not locked up in the building itself – he always had plenty of money for whatever he wanted or needed, and Rin was certainly well provided for.

To be truthful, the thought was rather intimidating. She'd never been exposed to this much wealth, and wasn't sure how she felt about it now that she was.

He stopped before the doors and turned to look at her. "You showed me the equivalent to this room in your world, Kagome, and now I will show you mine. It is not as large, but the quantity is not as important as the quality, I believe," he said, sliding the doors open to allow her to see into the room.

She stared in wonder again at what lay before her.

It was a library.

Beautiful wood cases stood around the room, holding many elaborate and carefully bound scrolls, some capped in gold and precious gems. The polished bamboo cases they lay in were elegant and simple, meant as showcases for the rare works they housed, and Kagome could feel her pulse pounding at the thought of getting her hands on the scrolls in his collection – she just bet there were works there that were no longer available in her time, much like the collection that had been lost when the Library of Alexandria had been lost to the torches of Roman invaders. Oh, what she would have given to have wandered its legendary halls!

Sesshoumaru was almost amused at the look of excitement that swept over the young woman's face, and knew that he had been forgotten for several moments as she stared in alt at the scrolls held within the large room. While nowhere near the size of her era's library, his own was nothing to sneeze at, containing thousands of writings that were probably not available in her time.

He knew that sooner or later he would lose her in this room, and she would have to be pried out.

Amused, he said, "There is not another collection like it in the world," his voice rightly proud. "Much of the collection on the southern wall of the room is magical texts – many of which were used in the creation of this place. There are even several studies on reiki and the usage of it. There are medical texts here, and the eastern wall is nothing but collections of scrolls from other lands – works of legend and lore, and studies of philosophy, as well."

Kagome turned around and walked out of the room to the daiyoukai's surprise, and when he joined her she said, "I think you'd better get me out of here, Sesshoumaru, or I'm going to go back into that room and you'll never find me again. Besides... it's getting a bit late, and I'm really hungry. Just be prepared... at some point I _am_ going to plunder your library," she warned him, her expression serious.

He actually chuckled, unable to hold back the sound of amusement at her demeanor. _A very curious woman_, he thought approvingly. "I will keep that in mind," he said dryly as he led her back the way they had come, heading once more for the gardens. "I am glad you approve of my home, as it will soon also be yours," he added, slanting a glance her way to catch her reaction to his announcement. He caught the glint in her eye as she glanced back.

"Hm," was all she said, neither denying or confirming – which was a confirmation in and of itself. If she had truly not wanted him, she would have said so.

When they reached the outside once more he tucked her into his side and lifted them into the air, bound once more for terra firma and the outside world.

It was time to go back to reality – at least for a little while.

But it would not be long before they would both be back here in the heart of his lands...

To stay.

~oOo~

Kagome was ravenous by the time they made it back to the village and didn't say a whole lot to Sesshoumaru after he settled back to the ground, making straight for Kaede's hut where she could smell dinner waiting. He watched her go with amusement, quite well aware of the golden eyes of his brother plastered with ill humor to his back.

"She is unharmed, Inuyasha, there is no need for your anger," he said calmly, turning to make his way back into the trees as Kagome disappeared inside the hut. The hanyou watched him with ill-concealed distrust, still trying to come to terms with the relationship that seemed to be coming to fruition right underneath his nose.

_Keh... for now she is. But for how much longer? _ he thought darkly, still worried. _He seems serious, but..._

"Feh," he mumbled as he heard Kagome's voice call out to him, beckoning him inside the hut with purpose. "This whole thing stinks," he decided even as he stepped inside and answered her query.

"Have you eaten, Inuyasha?" she asked, piling her own food on her plate, the roast pig and rice smelling quite delicious.

"Yeah, wench, since you came back so late we've already all eaten. Kaede had to go – one of the village women is in labor," he replied as he plopped down opposite her, answering her next question before she could ask it.

"Oh," she said as she took a bite, closing her eyes and enjoying the yummy flavor of the meat – Kaede made the best roast pork Kagome had ever had, and she was always right there whenever Inuyasha managed to catch a pig, practically salivating at the thought of the meal to come. She opened her eyes again after a moment, her thoughts going to all the things she needed to say to her friend, and how to say them.

Somehow she just knew that Sesshoumaru expected her to bring up the situation with his inheritance and a possible mating to her friend, knowing that the hanyou would be easier to reason with if the information came from her rather than him. And she intended to do just that... if she could figure out how to bring it up. She sighed quietly as she finished her meal, Inuyasha just enjoying the comforting sense of her presence and not saying anything to detract her from her thoughts.

Finally... "Inuyasha... have you ever wondered why the forest here is named after you?" she asked, setting her plate aside with the chopsticks set neatly atop it, ready for when she took all the dishes to be washed.

He looked at her blankly, not certain he had heard her correctly. "What?"

"You heard me. You do realize that it's not just called Inuyasha's Forest by the villagers here, don't you?"

He blinked big golden eyes at her. "So... what? I don't get what you're asking about," he replied, truly not comprehending what she was getting at.

_I guess Sesshoumaru was right... he doesn't realize there's more to his protection of the place than the fact that it's where we all live. _"You don't know, then," she murmured, eyeing his increasingly curious expression. "Sesshoumaru said you didn't, but I wanted to be sure."

"What's that bastard got to do with your question?" he asked, confused.

She sighed, narrowing her eyes warningly at her best friend. "Inuyasha... he's not a bastard. I'll admit he has been in the_ past._.. but everyone can change. And he's doing that – what's more, you know he is too, you just don't want to admit it. First things first – stop antagonizing him and calling him names, you might be surprised at what you find out when you do."

She held up a finger warningly as he started to shoot off at the mouth, just knowing what he was going to say. "I'm not saying be all buddy buddy with him. Just... stop with the names, and at least instead of being downright hostile be neutral. Then if he continues hostilities it's not your fault, and I won't be mad at you, okay? For me?" she asked, and it was his turn to sigh, the sound disgruntled.

"Fine," he finally grumped, not looking at her. "I'll play nice – for now. Until he proves he's the bastard I keep sayin' he is, and then I'll go right back to callin' it as I see it."

Nodding, Kagome let that subject go, knowing that was as close to an agreement as she was going to get. "Okay. So... anyway, back to what we were talking about. Sesshoumaru took me to see some things and also told me a few things about you that I didn't know... and apparently you don't, either. You know when Myouga calls you Inuyasha-sama, he's not just kissing your rear. That really is your proper title," she stated, not missing the surprise in his eyes.

"Keh!" he spouted, startled. "It's just because he thinks it's the polite thing to do because of who my father was, that's all. I ain't the Lord, Sesshoumaru is."

"You're right... and wrong. You aren't the Western Lord – but you are the Lord of this forest, which is quite large, by the way. And it isn't just because of who your father was but because of your mother, too. She was a hime after all, and you are the only remaining Setsuna heir, according to your brother. The southern reaches of the forest came to you from your mother's family."

Inuyasha blinked, stunned at what Kagome was telling him. While he'd known his mother had been a hime, he didn't know anything about her family or what had happened to them after her death and his own leavetaking of them. After all, by the time his mother had died of old age he had been over fifty in human years... though still a small child by youkai standards, and none of the family that had known and cared for his mother had still been alive by that time.

"You're telling me that my mother's family has all died out, and I'm the only one left?" he asked, needing clarification.

"Yup. That's what your brother said. He said that you'd been taking care of this place because it was where you lived, and it was just instinct. But the truth is this place is actually yours. It's your land, and you are the Lord of it." She winked at him. "I'd say you're doing a pretty good job as the Lord, Inuyasha – you've kept the forest safe and this village even safer all this time without even thinking about it."

He stared at her, not sure what to make of what she was saying. "Yeah, well," he said after a moment, "not but what it's an empty title – it ain't like I got any money to be the Lord of anything. 'Bout the only thing I can do is keep the forest clear of dangers."

"We didn't really go into details, but I think you're less broke than you think, Inuyasha," she muttered, thinking back to the palace in the sky. It might not be his, but she could just bet that the Inu no Taisho hadn't left his second son penniless – and now that Sesshoumaru had decided to stop being a bastard, (she could admit that he had been one at one point), she was pretty sure that the daiyoukai would be willing to release Inuyasha's inheritance from their father into his hands.

"Anyway... it brings something else up, you know that, right?" she asked gently. "You are the Lord here, and that comes with certain responsibilities. You're going to need an heir, Inuyasha," she said, and the hanyou stared at her like she'd gone crazy.

"W-what?" he sputtered, shocked and embarrassed. "Have you forgotten, wench? I'm just a filthy half-breed – ain't no female gonna want to mate me!"

"Well, your brother says you're wrong. We talked about it," Kagome admitted, blushing a little. "He said that it's not so much the half-_blood_ status of hanyou that makes youkai angry – its the half power they have, since they don't respect anything weaker than themselves. But you've proven yourself – he said that you've gained the respect of the inuyoukai that are left. Apparently, of the few females of the silver inu that still live any one of them would be amenable to mating you should you choose them, and your brother wants to arrange for you to meet them, to see if you might like one of them." Kagome sighed. "He doesn't want the silver inu blood to die out, and he says that there are only a few of your kind left. I can see his point," she said, hoping the hanyou wouldn't argue just because it was his brother suggesting the whole thing.

Inuyasha just looked shell-shocked, blinking at her blankly as she told him that his world was basically very different from how he had always thought it was. He could have a mate? And pups? _With a youkai female? _He'd always been certain that would never happen... but apparently the search for Naraku and his subsequent defeat had wrought a wonder – it had given him a reputation, and proved that he was strong and not to be taken lightly.

"S-so... he wants me to meet these females and choose one of them to be my mate?" he asked uncertainly, still having a hard time believing it.

"Yeah... I think he hopes that you'll take to one of them," she replied. "I think it would be great if you did, you know. At least you could agree to meet them to decide, right? It wouldn't hurt anything," she finished, looking hopefully at him, and he nodded weakly in agreement.

"I... I guess not," he said softly.

"I just want you to be happy, Inuyasha," Kagome said then, smiling at him. "And I know you've always wanted a family... now you'll have that chance."

"Keh," he said after a moment, and then his expression hardened and he narrowed his eyes on her. "And what about you and the..." he trailed off for a moment at her expression, changing his words last minute, "... Sesshoumaru? What's goin' on there?"

Kagome blushed, her eyes falling from his in embarrassment now that it was her turn in the spotlight. She stared at the floor hard, her fingers knotting in her hakama as she said, "He wants to mate me," so softly that the hanyou barely heard her.

He did though, and he almost fell over in shocked surprise at her words.

"Mate?" he asked, twitching.

She nodded.

A heavy silence fell as Inuyasha took in her words and pondered their significance.

~oOo~

A/N: Surprise! Yes, I finally updated one of my stories... I'm hoping to work on the others in the next days and start posting again, though there are no guarantees that my posting schedule will be back to normal right away. And to whoever nominated this story for Best Portrayal Sesshoumaru, a sincere thanks goes to you – that's one of my most coveted awards, since Sesshoumaru is such a challenge to write convincingly.

Amber


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The next morning Kagome motioned to Inuyasha as soon as breakfast was over and cleaned up from and asked him if he wanted to go home with her for the day – she had the feeling that Sesshoumaru would be away for a day or two at least, preparing for his brother's meetings with the available inuyoukai females.

The hanyou just shrugged, still trying to sort through everything that Kagome had told him last night – especially the part about what Sesshoumaru wanted from her.

He was just having a very hard time swallowing the whole thing, though he knew his brother didn't lie – if he'd said that then he meant it. It was just so hard to believe...

His best friend, a – mostly – human woman, was who _his brother_ had chosen as a lifemate. His brother, who – mostly – hated humans... though there was Rin, and he seemed to care for Kohaku, as well.

But there was a difference between caring for a couple of human children and_ mating _an adult one.

"Feh." Inuyasha looked at Kagome from where he paced along slightly behind her and asked again, "Are you _sure_ he said 'mate'? You didn't just imagine that part?"

Kagome turned on him and threw her hands in the air with a frustrated mou. "_Inuyasha! _Would you get over it already? Do you want me to quote what he said to you verbatim?"

"Could you?" he challenged. "That way I'll know for sure!"

"Fine! He said, _and I quote_," she gritted meaningfully, though with a blush, "I am merely showing you what will be our rooms when we have mated. Though I look forward quite eagerly to that moment, today is not that day. Satisfied?"

"Keh! I just want to be sure! Is that such a crime? I care about you, Kagome, and I don't want that... Sesshoumaru," he ground out, trying to keep to his word to her to stop calling names, "to take advantage of you!"

With a deep sigh Kagome shook her head and continued on towards the well. "No, Inuyasha, it's not bad. But you need to stop seeing your brother as some evil bastard. He isn't anymore, and you know it. If he hadn't learned the things your father was trying to teach him he wouldn't have gained his new arm – or Bakusaiga. He's changed from what he was before. Heck, you shouldn't find that so hard to believe – even you've changed from what you were in the beginning – you were a _jerk._"

"Feh," he muttered, looking away, not able to dispute any of what she'd said. He_ had_ been a jerk back in the beginning... in some ways he'd been just as much a bastard as Sesshoumaru. "Fine... but I'm still keeping an eye on him, K'gome. I love you too much to let him or anyone else hurt you, either," he finished, blushing deeply as he said those words he'd never said before – to anyone except his mother.

Eyes wide Kagome stopped dead, causing him to stop too, and with a gasp she whipped around to look at him. "_Inuyasha_," she whispered as tears welled in her eyes, "you've never said it like that before. I didn't think you ever would."

Still blushing, he forced himself to look up at her. "Maybe not, but you shoulda known I do, wench," he said softly. "You're my best friend, and nothing will ever change that." He shrugged, looking uncomfortable, but continued anyway. "Even though we aren't... _together_, doesn't mean that I'll ever love anyone more than you. No matter what happens with these inuyoukai females Sesshoumaru wants me to meet, you'll always be important to me – always be someone to protect. And you will always be my guiding light – you've been my _only_ light since the day you woke me from my seal. So... I guess what I'm tryin' to say is that no matter where we go from here, you'll always be a most important part of my life – and if Sesshoumaru thinks that he's gonna take you away and keep you from me, then we _will_ fight."

Tears brimming over Kagome threw herself at Inuyasha and hugged him, more touched than she'd ever been. "I love you, too, Inuyasha. And if Sesshoumaru thinks that, then he and_ I_ will fight, too. I'll never stop being by your side – whenever you need me, you know that."

He hugged her after a surprised moment, sighing and just relaxing against her with happiness. Kagome coming into his life had changed everything for the better – hell, she had given him a life, period. Before her all he'd had was survival. And he was honest with himself enough to know that he wouldn't have been able to prove himself to the other youkai without Kagome – she was his strength.

After a few quiet minutes Kagome pulled away with a smile, and taking his hand, tugged it cheerfully. "Come on, Inuyasha, let's go visit the family," she said, making warmth flow through him. _Our... family. There's actually people that care for me, though I'm not related by blood at all. And it's all because of you, Kagome. You're a friggin' miracle, you know that?_

He smiled at her and picked her up as she giggled and hopped into the well, the blue lights of time grabbing them up and taking them away, leaving a deep silence behind in the well clearing.

A silence that wasn't broken by the golden eyes that were watching with a cold light illuminating them.

_You had best accept what comes, Inuyasha, because if you challenge me over her, I will destroy you. _

_Kagome is mine. _

After a few seconds the graceful form of the Western Lord turned away and moved off, intent on contacting the females needed – so he could get his brother settled.

Because then... _he_ could get settled.

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru landed lightly on the steps to his mother's palace in the clouds and immediately started up them, not inclined to linger. Dealing with his mother was always an irritant, as she loved to dig her claws into him any chance she got.

He had no illusions about his mother. Powerful and beautiful, she was more fixated on power and using it against people than he had ever been. But instead of seeking physical conquest as he had, she sought to conquer beings through their minds and hearts, using their desires against them and attempting to break them from within.

There was no patience in him for her schemes.

As he paced through the halls of her palace towards the Portico of Mirrors, where she always kept court, he considered those same mirrors – or rather, her main mirror.

With it she could see many things – things that had happened, things that were happening – and things that _would_ happen. Curiosity being his besetting sin, he found that he might just have a use for her mirror – to see what would come to be from his mating to Kagome. At the very least he could get a glimpse into the future she had been designed to bring about.

But he wasn't curious enough to beg, and if his mother chose to play with him on he would simply ignore the future that would soon change, and wait to see it for himself.

He hadn't even stepped from the pillared hall before she was already addressing him mockingly. "Ah, Sesshoumaru, my loving son. You've come to take my attendants away, I presume?" she asked, an arch smile on her face as she watched him like a hawk.

"Mother. As you know why I am here there is no reason to waste time with speech. Send for the females – I do not desire to linger," he replied coolly, his expression remote.

She waved a languid hand at him even as she signaled for a servant to attend to the matter of fetching the requested females. "So cold to your mother, Sesshoumaru. What have I done to deserve such treatment from you?"

"I refuse to bandy words with you, Satori. Mother or not, no one mocks me, and I have little patience for your amusements. Sheath your claws – or I will show you why mine are the sharper by far."

"Ah, but my amusements are so... interesting," she returned, her voice still mocking as she ignored his threat. "For instance... looking into the future. I have seen such fascinating things, Sesshoumaru. Don't you wish to know what you are getting into with your desire for the miko who is no miko? The Lotus carries more mystery than you know."

"You will not involve yourself with Kagome in any way, mother," he said, his voice suddenly edged with warning. "I know your ways too well." Running his fingers through his hair idly, he eyed her with a calculating expression as she narrowed her eyes on him. "She is beyond you, at any rate – if you were to try your hand at your typical games with her you would fail most spectacularly, I have no doubt."

"Perhaps," she chuckled, enjoying riling her son up. She turned her gaze to the females entering her presence and bowing, and studied them for several long moments before turning to look once more at her son with a wicked expression he did not like the look of.

"My illustrious son is here to escort you ladies to the Western Palace. I believe he has deemed it time for a mate to be chosen. You are to go with him... and may the best female win," she said lightly, watching as the women's faces dropped demurely to hide the speculative interest in their eyes. After all, she had implied that _he_ was the one looking for a mate...

Eyes narrowing dangerously Sesshoumaru curtly ordered the females to follow him before turning his back on his mother and leaping over her balustrade into the clouds – the females would take their true forms and follow easily enough.

Inwardly he cursed his mother's scheming – with the implication that he was the one searching for a mate there would be a certain bit of disappointment in the bitches when they found that it was in fact for Inuyasha that a mate was being searched out, and not himself. While it was true that the bitches would in the end be amenable to a mating with his admittedly powerful brother, he was of course the better catch, and they would be disappointed when they found he had already chosen a female.

Nonetheless, there would be six females for his brother to meet and hopefully one would suit him. If one did, he would quickly see them mated.

Which brought up another point – his inheritance. The whelp would need his funds released to him so that he could have a suitable residence built; as the Lord of his land and about to be a mated male, he would need a place to take his female once he'd chosen.

Landing before the barrier to the heart of his lands he waited silently for the six females to land behind him, then flared his youki and waited for the barrier to open before leading them into it and then watching it close behind them all. With nary a word he took to the air again and led the group of females to his home.

This time however, unlike the day previous when he had brought Kagome, when he walked through the gates once more in humanoid form he was greeted by servants, and giving curt orders about the disposition of the females he turned and made his way to his study.

Once the females had been settled he would call them here and inform them of their reason for being here – his mother's words notwithstanding.

He wanted no part of flirtatious females trying to get his attention – they could never hold it, anyway.

They were like his brother, as far as he was concerned.

Ordinary.

The one thing that Kagome was not...

Which was why she would be his.

Still._.. what other mystery was mother speaking of in regards to her?_

~oOo~

"Tadaima!" Kagome called out as she stepped through the front door, pulling Inuyasha along behind her.

"Okaeri, Kagome, Inuyasha," her mother's voice came as she stepped around the corner into the living room. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon. No Sesshoumaru-sama?" she asked, a certain smile on her face that had Kagome's eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"No," she said slowly as she watched Inuyasha get dragged off by Souta again. "He's off taking care of other things. Why?"

"Other things, eh? So... when will the wedding be?" she asked, grinning as her daughter's jaw dropped.

"Moooom!" she wailed, dropping her face into her hands as her mother laughed aloud. "How do you always do that?"

"I'm not blind, Kagome, even if you are. I noticed his interest in you _personally_ right off the bat. He didn't hide it at all – yet you didn't even notice it." Mischief sparkled in her eyes as Kagome sighed and dropped her chin into her hand as she took a seat at the table. "You should have seen the look he shot you when you spoke about Hojo. It was quite blatantly green."

"Yeah, well," she said, sticking her nose in the air at her mother playfully, "youkai don't get married, mom, they take mates. It's a whole different thing," she said. "I don't know much about it, but I do know this – it's permanent and irreversible. No divorce."

Hitomi sobered at that. "Then you had best be certain he's what you want before you commit, eh?"

Kagome waved a hand at that. "I'm already sure. Come on, mom, you've seen him. Who'd turn that away?"

"And is that all there is, Kagome?" she asked sternly, wanting to make sure.

Looking shocked that her mother would even think such a thing, she shook her head. "No! Of course not, mama! Do you really think I'm so shallow?"

Sighing, Hitomi shook her head. "No. But I wanted to be certain of your thoughts before you tied yourself to him. He's certainly beautiful enough to cloud anyone's mind, dear. And to be the focus of his attention is no doubt overwhelming."

Kagome giggled a little at that, her mind taking her back to that kiss. "Oh, you have no idea, mama," she said softly. "'Overwhelming' doesn't even cover it."

Eyebrows shooting up Hitomi watched her daughter's expressive face and smiled inwardly. "So it's like that, is it?" she asked archly, laughing once more when her daughter's cheeks turned red. "Never mind, dear," she said as she picked up a knife and started slicing radishes for pickling. Sure, she could buy them in the grocery store – but she preferred making them herself.

"So what are you planning to do today?" she asked after a comfortable silence had fallen for several minutes.

"Actually, for once not a thing," Kagome sighed. "Just sticking around and helping you for the day. We'll go back after dinner tonight."

Her mother nodded, then pulled out a knife from the drawer and handed it to her daughter with a cutting board and a pile of her own radishes. "That sounds good, Kagome. We haven't done this in a while. I'm happy to see my daughter and spend time with her."

And the two women worked quite cheerfully, chatting about everything under the sun while they sliced radishes, not paying any attention to the passing of time.

~oOo~

Neither of the women had noticed Souta come towards the kitchen, but he'd overheard his mother's words about a wedding between his sister and that tall, rather scary youkai brother of Inuyasha's.

Stunned and upset as what he'd always hoped would happen between his sister and Inuyasha started to drift away, he turned away and went back into the living room, where he'd stashed his favorite hanyou so they could play games.

Sitting back down in front of the television, he stared at the screen for a few moments and then asked Inuyasha, who was watching at him with a frown, "I thought you and sis would get together one day, Inuyasha. Why's she gonna marry your brother?"

Inuyasha flushed, startled at the question; after a moment though, his eyes softened and he awkwardly patted the boy's shoulder. "Souta... sometimes things just don't happen the way you think they will. Me'n Kagome are best friends... but there's too much history between her and I, things that happened back then, for us to really be more than that. It would ruin things – and I would never be able to be happy if I had to give up your sister. But just because her and I aren't getting together like that doesn't mean I won't still be around."

Souta stared at him for a minute, then looked down. "You're talking about that stuff with Kikyou, aren't you? I remember back then when sis would come home in tears about that whole thing. I guess she cried one too many times and finally decided to change her mind," he sighed, not noticing the stunned look on Inuyasha's face.

After a moment to gather his thoughts, he said, "Keh. I always knew that Kagome was meant for someone else, Souta. I didn't know who," he started, then his face wrinkled up in disgust, "and would never have guessed it was gonna be my bastard of a brother, but that's the way the kami played it... and I won't stop her if it's what she wants. Because I _do_ love her, even though it's not that way, and I want her to be happy."

Shifting thoughts visible on his face Souta finally nodded, though Inuyasha was quick to note that he still seemed disappointed. After a moment though, Inuyasha decided to leave it alone and let him work through it on his own.

He would eventually get used to how things were, and in the end would realize that just because he and Kagome weren't together in that manner, didn't mean he wasn't still part of the family.

He would always be that, no matter where life led he and Kagome from here on out.

~oOo~

Seated behind his desk, Sesshoumaru waited silently for the females to be brought to him so that he could enlighten them as to who they were going to be meeting.

Beckoning them in at the rap on the door-frame he watched with little interest as the six females piled into the room and then knelt before him, heads bowed respectfully.

He let the silence linger for a few long moments and then said, "Contrary to what my mother led you all to believe, I am not looking for a mate. You have been brought here to meet my brother. Inuyasha has now come into his inheritance, and should he show an affinity for one of you, you should consider yourself lucky."

Not one female had said a word but all had gone still as he'd spoken, waiting breathlessly for him to finish. He met each female's gaze coldly. "Make no mistake – hanyou or not Inuyasha is far more powerful than any of you. There is no weakness there."

One of the females, the smallest one, spoke up softly. "I have heard of your half-brother, my Lord. It is said that he defeated Ryukotsussei. Is that true?"

Sesshoumaru looked at her without expression. "It is true. While my father merely sealed him, Inuyasha killed him – and was _not_ injured in the battle."

The girl nodded. "I will gladly meet him, then. If he was able to do that then there is no lack of strength."

The other females murmured their agreement after a moment and Sesshoumaru flicked his fingers at them in dismissal. "He will arrive tomorrow. Until then you are free to amuse yourselves."

The females bowed again and rose to their feet, shuffling from the room and leaving a very bored daiyoukai behind. _I sincerely hope you find one of these infernal females amenable, Inuyasha._

Standing, he left his study headed for the palace's treasury. It was time to release the boy's inheritance to him.

Or at least part of it.

~oOo~

The moment Inuyasha landed lightly in the meadow from the well and set Kagome down on her feet Sesshoumaru was standing before them, the early evening breezes flirting with his silver locks and ruffling his pelt. Kagome froze, just staring at him, but Inuyasha certainly didn't.

"What the hell, Sesshoumaru?" he barked out, growling at his brother. "Do you gotta be up our asses like that?"

"So uncouth," the daiyoukai murmured after a moment. "The females that you are to meet will not know what to make of you with your rough manners and foul speech. This might be more difficult than I'd anticipated."

"Oh, screw you. I can talk all nice and sweet when I need to. You just don't bring out that side of me, that's all," he returned snappily, glaring at his elder brother who was always so elegant, whether in the midst of battle or simply walking by.

"Hn. Let us hope then that your words are true, and you can show that you have decent speech." He turned to Kagome, who was watching the two of them with an exasperated expression on her face. "Kagome. We will escort you back to the village, and then Inuyasha and I have need to discuss certain matters."

She eyed him dubiously. "You're not going to fight, are you?"

Crescent moon almost seeming to glow on his forehead as the early moonlight caressed it, he denied her words. "No. We need to speak about the subject you and I spoke of yesterday – his inheritance."

Kagome smiled. "Oh, okay." Walking between the two brothers she fell silent as they escorted her to Kaede's hut, and once she was inside Sesshoumaru glanced at his brother from the corner of one eye and then beckoned him into the forest.

Inuyasha, hands stuffed into his sleeves and a rather contemplative look on his face followed his brother quietly, for once not arguing or making snide remarks.

The two walked for a little while, finally coming to a large meadow set a mile or so from the village and open to the valley below. It was a beautiful spot.

Both males simply studied the landscape before them in silence for some time, but after a while Sesshoumaru finally broke the – for once – peaceful quiet. "This would be an excellent site for you to build your home."

Inuyasha blinked, startled at his brother's conversational gambit. "Keh... why here?" he asked, curious.

Voice oddly neutral, for once not containing its usual sarcasm, Sesshoumaru replied, "You are not a poor villager with no money, Inuyasha. You are a son of our father, a prince of the west. You are also technically the Lord of Setsuna, as you are the only one left that carries Setsuna blood. This land is all yours. You are a male of status and therefore need a home that reflects that." He gestured around at the large meadow. "This place would give room enough for the dwelling you will need."

"Feh," Inuyasha said, "I don't have money, Sesshoumaru – unless you've had it all this time."

The inu Lord reached into his obi and pulled out a large, heavy money bag. "This is just the smallest amount of what is yours, Inuyasha. It is enough to hire builders to come and begin construction of your home. Be aware – you will need a treasury, because I have no desire to continue to hold your purse strings. Once you have a place to put it, I will release all your funds to you."

Reaching out almost tentatively as though he expected his brother to yank the money back from him, he took the bag and hefted it, completely shocked – just this purse alone carried a small fortune. "And this is only a small part of my money?" he asked suspiciously, having a hard time believing that he'd just gone from pretty much a homeless vagabond to way out past wealthy in an instant.

"Aa. You have proven yourself worthy as a son of the Inu no Taisho. Do not make me regret acknowledging that," he said shortly. After a moment, he continued. "Gather those skilled in building here tomorrow morning, and let them know what you want. Then... after the mid-day meal I will come for you and Kagome. We will go to the Western Palace, where you will spend some time acquainting yourself with the inu females that are awaiting you."

Inuyasha didn't say anything to his brother's words about his own life, instead locking onto the mention of the woman both males cared for in different ways.

"For once in your life, Sesshoumaru, give me a straight damn answer. Tell me in words what your intentions with Kagome are. If they're honorable then I'll back off and let you have her with no argument," he said, his own expression now the neutral one. "I just need to hear it from _you_."

Sesshoumaru regarded his brother for some time, no expression on his face or in his golden eyes, and then he turned back to look out over the landscape.

"Once you are on your way to being settled she will be this one's mate. Does that satisfy you, Inuyasha?"

After a moment Inuyasha sighed. "I s'pose so. I know you don't think much of lying, so I'll take your word as bond."

"Then I will take my leave of you. Be ready tomorrow afternoon," his brother replied curtly before he lifted into the air and headed rapidly away.

Inuyasha watched him until he was out of sight, and then looked thoughtfully around at the meadow once more before heading back towards the village.

Behind him the grasses swayed in the cool night air, peaceful for the last time for the foreseeable future.

Tomorrow, that same meadow would become a hive of activity as a new Lord of Setsuna arose from the ashes of the clan's long dead funeral pyre.

~oOo~

Kagome looked up as Inuyasha stepped into the clearing and smiled at him. "Hey," she said softly. "Where've you been all morning?" she asked.

He sauntered over to her slowly, taking in the pretty picture she made sitting beneath the Goshinboku. "Been taking care of getting a home built," he finally said as he plopped down next to her, his arms folded into his sleeves.

She shot him a sideways glance. "So... Sesshoumaru gave you your inheritance, then?" she asked.

"Part of it," he sighed. "He said once I've got my home built and a place to put it all he'll release the rest of it to me."

"I'm glad, Inuyasha," she said happily, reaching out a hand and placing it on his arm for a moment. "I want to see you happy more than anything. So... did he say when you'd get a chance to meet these ladies?" she asked teasingly as he blushed and looked away.

"Keh," he muttered, "he's coming to get both of us today. Takin' us to the Western Palace, I guess," he shrugged as he looked back over at her.

She blinked. Then looked up at the sky. _"Inuyasha!"_ she wailed, "why didn't you say something earlier? He could show up at any time, and I'm not ready to go anywhere!"

"Calm down, Kagome, sheesh," he chuckled at how flustered she'd suddenly become. "He said _after_ the mid-day meal, which Kaede is just now making."

She eyed him for a moment, and then sighed in relief. "Oh. But still... I should go right now and gather my things. Did he say how long we'd be there?"

He shrugged.

"Hm." Her brow furrowed then. "But... why am I going, anyway? Isn't this for you to meet those females?" she asked in confusion.

"Keh! You mean you'd leave me alone with a bunch of females and Sesshoumaru? Damn, Kagome, that's cold!" he teased lightly, then sobered as he met her gaze. "Actually... I think he plans to court you while I'm meetin' these females," he said almost reluctantly. "We... talked a little last night – he assured me that his intentions towards you are honorable so... I told him I wouldn't interfere."

Kagome's expression melted into one of understanding; this was quite difficult for him – in essence he was giving over the place he'd always had to his brother. He was finding it difficult.

She patted his arm and sat back with a small smile. "You know, Inuyasha," she said slowly, "you'll always have a place at my side."

He just shook his head at her. _She always knows... _"Not anymore, Kagome," he said sadly. "That's gonna be his place, now."

"Silly," she said fondly, her eyes soft, "I have two sides, you know."

He blinked at her, startled. _Never thought of it like that... _"I suppose so," he chuckled, feeling a little bit lighter. After a moment he sighed and stood up, holding out a hand to help her up as well. "Come on, wench, let's go back to Kaede's so you can get your things together. Wouldn't want the ice prince to come by and not find you ready to go. He'd find a way to blame me for it."

The two walked back to Kaede's at peace with each other and the world around them.

~oOo~

No sooner had lunch been cleaned up from than Sesshoumaru appeared in the village leading Ah-Uhn, and Kagome and Inuyasha stepped out of Kaede's hut with goodbyes to their friends, Kagome carrying a nice sized bag with enough changes of clothes to last a week.

Sesshoumaru indicated Ah-Uhn. "You will ride him, Inuyasha, and I will carry Kagome – that way the journey will go by quicker."

Shrugging, Inuyasha hopped up on the dragon's back and watched, quietly amused as Sesshoumaru approached his friend only to wrap his arm around her waist with a distinctly proprietary air. She flushed becomingly and couldn't meet his eyes.

He didn't try to hide that amusement when his brother met his eyes, and was rather taken aback at the total lack of disdain in his brother's gaze. Instead he also looked amused, and with a shared moment of internal laughter at Kagome's expense, the first ever moment between the two without any animosity whatsoever the group lifted off, and within moments the village lay far behind.

"Why are you suddenly so flustered in this one's presence, Kagome?" he asked, his voice lightly mocking.

She blushed and then looked up at him belligerently. "Don't tease me, Sesshoumaru! Things are different now, and it's all your fault."

"Hn. You had best get used to this new reality between us, Kagome. You have very little time left as a free woman."

She stiffened, eyeing him nervously. "What do you mean, very little time?" she squeaked.

His brow rose in amusement. "Just what I said. Why do you play these games? You know what I want from you, and you want the same from me. What is the point of beating around the bush in this matter?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Cranberry color washing across her cheeks and making her blue eyes sparkle, she stuttered out, "W-well, I haven't really had any time to get used to this whole thing, you know!"

"And I just said you still have a bit of time – though not much. How much time do you think you need, woman?"

"I don't know," she wailed softly in deference to his hearing. "I guess I'm just embarrassed," she finally admitted, her voice going even softer.

After a few minutes of silence Sesshoumaru finally said, "You are a curious female, unlike anyone I have ever met. One moment mature and forceful, and the next shy and almost childlike. Accustom yourself to my attentions, Kagome, because you will be the focus of them until the day we both step into death."

Looking up at him from the corner of one eye, she sighed. "That's easier said than done, you know. You're kinda intense when you're focusing on a person."

"And yet it did not seem to bother you at first. Why is that?"

"Because back then you hadn't kissed me," she said softly so that Inuyasha wouldn't hear. "This is a totally different way of having your attention than when you just had questions about me."

"Hn... perhaps," he regarded her thoughtfully, "but you will quickly learn to enjoy this particular way of having my attention. It is simply the newness of it. But you are a passionate woman, and once that passion has been fully ignited you will no longer be flustered by it."

Her head sank down into his pelt in complete and utter embarrassment at his bold words – she wasn't really used to having males talk to her that way. The only guy who'd ever bothered with her in her era was Hojo, and he was definitely not the type to speak of such things. And here, Koga's boldness in declaring her 'his woman' had also only gone so far, so when the beautiful male she was held so tightly against actually chuckled at her, the rumble it caused in his chest caused a warmth to flow through her body, a reaction none of the others had ever caused.

It made Sesshoumaru purr.

_Purr? _She pulled back from his pelt and narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you sure there's not something you're forgetting to tell me?" she asked suspiciously. "Because last time I checked, dogs don't purr."

He cocked a brow at her in a rather haughty manner as they began to land before the barrier hiding the heart of his lands. "It was a growl, woman, not a purr. There are many types of growl – that one was an encouragement."

She looked at him blankly, not understanding. "Encouragement?" she asked.

"You were becoming aroused, Kagome – your scent spiked most deliciously. I was simply... pressing you to continue smelling so delightful," he said wickedly as he watched that cranberry color wash across her face again.

"I would never have imagined you to be a flirt, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said primly as he let her down to open the barrier, ignoring Inuyasha's snort as Ah-Uhn landed and he caught her last words.

"He ain't. Sesshoumaru's never flirted with a female in his life. It's just you," he laughed at her disgruntled death glare. Looking away from her after a moment he pinned his eyes to his brother, curious about the ancestral home to the clan of the Inu no Taisho.

Aloof mask falling over his face once more Sesshoumaru opened the portal into his home, and leading the way, quickly had them once more in the clouds and landing before the gates to the palace. He glanced at his brother from the corner of one eye, rather enjoying the look of awe washing over the boy's face.

"Welcome to my home, little brother," he said, the pride in his voice quite audible to the two standing with him.

Kagome looked around, then blinked in surprise when two actual living servants approached, awaiting the daiyoukai's orders.

"Wait a minute... there weren't any people here the other day!" she said, looking up at him almost accusingly. "When did they get here?"

He looked down at her, a smug expression settling on his suddenly surprisingly mobile face. "Did I not tell you that when I was ready to take a mate I would settle here full time, and that then there would be servants?"

"W-well, yeah," she said, "but-"

"I am ready to take a mate, Kagome," he said silkily, speaking right over her, "as you are well aware. It was time to bring my house into order, and that has now been done."

Inuyasha, who'd since dismounted from Ah-Uhn as one of the servants led the beast off to the stables, looked over at his brother with a rather enigmatic expression on his face. "This is a bit much, Sesshoumaru. I knew there was an ancestral home... but I didn't expect _this_," he said, gesturing around him. He eyed his brother for a moment. "It's up here using your power, isn't it?"

"Yes." Turning to the other servant still hovering nearby he gave orders for Inuyasha to be escorted to his rooms, and the servant bowed before beckoning the hanyou to follow. Inuyasha did with one last glance at his brother and best friend.

When he'd disappeared Kagome looked up and straight into golden eyes; Sesshoumaru was regarding her silently but quite intently, and she didn't know what to make of that look.

"What?" she asked cautiously.

He said nothing for a moment, then turned away and motioned for her to follow him. Frowning, wondering what had gotten into him she did so, and found herself quickly in that same wing of the palace his rooms were in. Frown deepening, she began to wonder just what he was doing...

Until he stopped before a set of doors that were just down from his own and slid them open. Stepping inside, he waited for Kagome to do the same and then said, "These rooms were built for one purpose and one purpose only – they are for the future mate of the Lord to stay in until her mating day. Since at this particular time that would be you, you should make yourself at home," he said, a certain glint in far too innocent eyes.

She held his gaze for a moment and then looked around obligingly as he so obviously wanted her to do. She smiled in approval. "It's beautiful, Sesshoumaru!"

He tilted his head in pleased acknowledgment, then pointed out another door. "That leads to the bathing facilities that you saw when you were here. You are free to use them anytime you desire – but be aware," he said, that innocent look melting into a wicked one, "I bathe there, as well."

Her mind short-circuited quite promptly at that and she turned away from the door to continue to look about the room. "I'll keep that in mind," she said dryly after she managed to get control of her suddenly hentai thoughts once again.

He smirked slightly at her reaction; she was aroused, she couldn't hide it from him. He chose not to bring it up, however. "You will be comfortable here?" he asked calmly, giving nothing away.

Her eyes once more wandered the large, airy room and nodded. It was beautiful, and the bed - because it _was_ a bed, and not a futon - looked quite comfortable with plenty of blankets and even rather fluffy pillows. She blinked at that; those kind of accoutrements weren't usually seen in this era, but... neither was a floating palace with magic hot springs, she thought wryly after a moment. With everything else about this impossible place that was so fantastical, why worry about such a small thing as an actual bed – and pillows?

"Yes," she sighed after a moment, stepping forward to set her bag on a low table. "I'll be fine, Sesshoumaru."

"Good," he said, his voice suddenly dropping into a whole new baritone range and rumbling in his chest in a manner that had Kagome's knees going weak. "If there is anything that could possibly make you more comfortable, let me know."

"Okay," she managed to get out, though it sounded oddly breathless.

He inclined his head, his eyes never leaving hers. "When you have had a chance to refresh yourself, please join me in the hanging gardens. You remember how to arrive there?" he asked.

Kagome thought back and then nodded. "Yes. It isn't very difficult."

With a slight smirk he turned and quietly left the room, and Kagome just managed to make it to the bed before her knees finally did give out.

"Wow," she sighed dreamily. "At this rate, embarrassed or not _I'm_ going to jump _him_!"

~oOo~

Half an hour later Kagome slid open the door to her room and headed out, making her way slowly towards the beautiful hanging gardens at the center of the palace complex. She found it in short order, and letting his aura guide her, soon found Sesshoumaru.

She blinked.

This Sesshoumaru looked somewhat different.

His ever-present armor was gone, and she gulped; without it his stunning physique was on full display – the silk of his normal attire molding lovingly to his frame.

_Dear gods, _she thought, stunned.

He also looked a great deal more relaxed than she had ever seen.

_This place suits him..._

She cleared her throat awkwardly as he watched her with a distinctly amused expression. "So... where's Inuyasha and these females he's supposed to be meeting?" she asked, trying to bring her rapidly pattering heart back to a calmer pace.

"They will join us shortly," he said idly, his strong, muscular body arranged comfortably beneath a tree. He motioned for her to come to him; with only slight reservations she did, and he gestured for her to sit with him.

She sank down next to him, watching him cautiously as though she expected him to pounce her at any moment.

Golden eyes sharpening on her, he asked, "Why do you look at me so? What is it you suspect me of, I wonder?"

Shaking her head slowly she continued watching him, the wary look still in her eyes. "I'm not sure what to expect from you anymore. For the cold lord you sure are a hentai, Sesshoumaru."

He chuckled and she gaped at him. "And you are not, Ka-go-me?" he asked, a mocking light in his heated gold eyes. "I am all too well aware of what you think of me. You are not, after all, very good at hiding your arousal when around me."

Narrowing eyes held his. "Gods, you are so arrogant," she snapped. "I really would love to see someone knock you down from your pedestal!"

He blinked languidly at her as silver locks danced around him in the fragrant breeze. "I am sure you would – but do not hold your breath anticipating such a thing. You would pass out long before it would ever happen," he said calmly.

She huffed in irritation and looked away. "Maybe I'll decide in the end to say no to you, Sesshoumaru – ever think of that?" she asked coolly.

"You could," he responded, his voice unruffled. "But we both know you will not – just as you should know that I will not give_ up_ until you give_ in._"

With a sigh she peeked over at him to find him watching her with a knowing expression. "I give up. That arrogance must be bred into you – it sure goes all the way down," she said, exasperated. "Inuyasha's kinda that way too, only you're worse."

"Course he is, wench, whatever it is you're talkin' about. He's always worse than me," Inuyasha's voice came just as he walked into view. He cast an amused look at his reclining brother. "So... what was it he was being worse at?" he asked as he folded his legs under him and allowed himself to fall into a cross-legged position on the grass across from Kagome.

Face scrunched up in annoyance at Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha's amused eyes, she growled out, "Arrogance."

At that Inuyasha waved a dismissing hand. "Keh. All inu youkai are like that, wench. It's just a part of our breed. I mean, look at us," he grinned wickedly at his flustered friend. "We're better looking than other youkai, and obviously," he gestured around them, "this clan has more wealth than any other. And we're more powerful, too. What's not to be arrogant about?"

"Should I be arrogant about the fact that I can do things you guys can't?" she snapped, glaring at the both of them.

"From what I have heard childbirth is painful, so I would not boast about that – this Sesshoumaru is more than happy to let you have that one," came that rumbling baritone of the inuyoukai's, and Kagome instantly heated up at those inflammatory words.

"Oh, I can assure you, _Sesshoumaru_," she said sarcastically, "I can do a whole lot more than just have children. And if that's what you think of women, then you're going to be alone for a long, _long_ time." Her voice had grown belligerent as she'd finished, and Inuyasha finally broke out in laughter as he caught her clenching her tiny hands into fists.

"Oi, woman, calm down - we're just teasin' ya," he chortled, actually enjoying his brother's company for the first time ever. It was fun riling Kagome up... he'd always enjoyed her spirited responses, and knew his brother would, too.

She eyed them narrowly for several seconds and then huffed again, realizing just what Inuyasha was up to. After all, she'd been enjoying fights with him since they first met. But she would never have suspected that Sesshoumaru would be into the same thing...

"Oooh, I ought to just go back to Kaede's and leave you two jerks here by yourselves with all those females on the make," she said semi-heatedly. "Would serve you both right."

Sesshoumaru flicked his fingers at her. "You would not do that – you would quickly get jealous and return to defend your place," he said complacently.

Before she could respond to _that_ piece of arrogance a servant appeared guiding two females towards them, and Kagome turned instantly fascinated eyes on them. She had never seen a female inuyoukai before.

The taller one was quite attractive, pale silver hair flowing mid-back and delicate pink markings accenting her silver eyes.

But it was the smaller one that was the beauty – the same silver hair, only her eyes were violet and her markings a true black that only accented her eyes, drawing your own eyes inevitably to them and holding them there. With a sideways glance at her suddenly silent friend, she smiled inwardly as she caught his awed stare.

_I think we've got a winner already, _she thought. _As long as her personality is equally attractive._

"My lord," the servant bowed, "the other females will be out shortly."

"Very well." He dismissed the servant with nothing more than a wave of one hand, then turned to the two females staring between Inuyasha and Kagome. "Your names?" he asked curtly, his cold expression once more wiping the warmth from his face.

Kagome shivered.

The short one spoke first. "I am Hiroko," followed by the taller one murmuring, "Izumi, my Lord."

It was easy to see that the smaller one was by far the boldest as she blatantly returned Inuyasha's stare for several seconds, then turned to look Kagome over. "Is she also here for your lord brother's consideration, my Lord?" she asked Sesshoumaru quite bluntly.

"No," he returned coldly. "Kagome belongs to me. She will be Lady here soon enough."

Both females stared at him in shock for several long seconds, and then, "But, my Lord! She's human! Surely, you canno-" the taller one began before being cut off.

"_Silence!"_ Sesshoumaru's voice cracked like a whip in the suddenly heavy air, his seated stance no longer so relaxed as explicit danger sprang vividly to life in the air around them. "You have no business questioning anything I choose to do," he said icily as the female cowered before him, her body language quickly going submissive as the smaller female simply watched, wisely keeping her thoughts to herself.

After a few deadly moments during which Sesshoumaru's heavy youki did not abate, Inuyasha spoke for the first time.

"Izumi, was it?" he asked, and at her timid nod, continued. "Kagome is a very important person to me – she is my best friend, and I will not tolerate any slurs to or about her, is that clear?"

The female nodded sullenly, not looking at anyone until Kagome sighed and laughed a little. "I know I don't look like much, do I?" she asked wryly, and taken aback, both females shook their heads cautiously. They didn't want to further anger the Lord of the place – who was at this moment still angry anyway, if his aura was anything to go by. "But you know... you really shouldn't judge a book by it's cover." As they looked at her blankly, she explained. "In other words don't just take a person at face value. You could potentially end up in great danger by doing that, you know. Underestimating a person – one who might be an opponent."

"_Are_ you an opponent?" Hiroko asked shrewdly, and Kagome laughed.

"No... didn't Sesshoumaru just tell you that? But I _am_ a judge," she said warningly, suddenly going very sober. "Inuyasha's my best friend, and I will never let anyone cause him harm in any way. If I see one of you that I think will, I'll stop you before you get the chance."

"Warning noted," the female said with a rather predatory smile. Kagome smiled back the same way and shockingly, or maybe not, despite her lack of fangs her smile was much more dangerous.

Sesshoumaru's youki, still heavy and presuming finally began to calm just a bit, and Kagome motioned for the two females to sit down just as several more females appeared behind another servant. They were quickly introduced and apprised of the situation by their counterparts, and before long they were all chattering quite animatedly to each other.

Hiroko was the only one who kept silent, instead watching Inuyasha with a weighing air – a look that was being returned with interest by the hanyou.

Kagome caught Sesshoumaru's eye and mouthed, "I think we have a winner already," to him behind her hand. The daiyoukai's agreement flashed back in his eyes.

_He shows no interest in any of the others... I find I have to agree with him. Those other females are simply annoying, _he thought with distaste as his ears rang with their empty chatter. _That one seems the only one with anything in her head at all. _

Kagome watched with amusement as some of the other females tried to draw Inuyasha into their rather inane conversation with little luck. He was polite enough, but showed little interest in talk of Sesshoumaru's mother's court.

After a while, the females almost seemed to forget his presence, and he watched them with an enigmatic expression for a time before glancing over at the only silent female in the bunch.

Levering himself up from the ground gracefully he walked over to her and bowed lightly. "Would you care to walk with me, Hiroko-san?" he asked politely, and Kagome's jaw wanted to drop. _I guess he __can__ be polite without having his life threatened, _she thought, amused.

She watched with a smile as the female agreed to join him, and within moments the two had disappeared into the greenery of the gardens. Leaning closer to Sesshoumaru, Kagome whispered low so only he could hear, "I think the rest of them can probably go back to wherever they came from. Seems to me Inuyasha's already found the one he's interested in."

He flicked a glance her way and then stood without a word and held out his hand for her. Nonplussed, she took it with a question in her eyes, but he merely pulled her up and after making sure she was stable on her feet led her off into the gardens in a different direction.

The five chattering female inuyoukai were left behind.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked after a few minutes of peaceful strolling.

"I will speak to Inuyasha when he returns from his walk and if he agrees, I will send the other females back to my mother's palace. It seems to this one that the female he is with is most interested in him, and he seems to be interested in her as well," he said, not looking at her.

"Yeah," she said slowly, a hint of laughter in her voice, "those other ones don't seem too... bright, do they?"

"No," he said shortly. Flicking a glance at her out of the corner of one golden eye, he said, "Do you understand now why I refused to consider one of them as a mate?"

She thought about that for a minute; Sesshoumaru, stuck for eternity with one of those inane females – and promptly dissolved into giggles. "Oh... I think you would probably have killed whichever one you were stuck with within days of mating her!"

"Hours," he said dourly, surprising a new round of giggles out of her as she couldn't help laughing – the visual in her head of his expression as the female prattled on brainlessly just endlessly entertaining.

His next action startled her breathless; whirling her into his arms with a suddenness that she found shocking, he forced her eyes up to meet his gaze. After a moment of staring into her eyes with molten gold ones, he said silkily, "It is fortunate for me then that I will not have such a fate to look forward to, correct?"

Eyes wide she stared up at him, unable to catch her breath enough to answer and so simply nodding in agreement.

A rather devilish smirk crossed his face then, and his eyes dropped from hers to her mouth, the intensity of that look causing her lips to part – with a dark look in eyes that were already dilating he lowered his mouth to hers and slipped inside slowly and indolently, making her shiver from head to toe.

Without touching her erotically anywhere else but her mouth, he made love to her in ways Kagome had no idea you could. Hot, wet, and slightly uncontrolled, his kiss was like nothing she'd ever felt before – not even their first one.

Where that one had been all burning need this one was deep, honeyed passion, and Kagome was instantly overwhelmed – not that she even tried to fight it, anyway. Why should she?

His arms swept down her back, molding her body to his hard frame and she melted into him, her soft flesh feeling so wonderful against him. He growled low in his throat, tilting his head a little to change the angle that he was caressing her tongue and the roof of her mouth at.

Decadent and sinful, Kagome didn't want to ever pull away, but unfortunately breathing was still a necessity and so she reluctantly backed up, gasping for breath as she met his eyes. They were beautiful – deepened to the point that the rim around them was thickened and bronze, and the rest so many different shades of gold and sunlight.

After a moment of watching her regain her breath and sanity he loosened his hold, growling slightly and looking disgruntled. Stepping back from her, he scowled just a bit.

"Sesshoumaru?" she asked with worry, wondering if she'd done something to displease him.

"The whelp and female come this way," he finally said as he got his suddenly uncertain temper under control.

She blushed, smoothing her hair and clothing. "Oh."

He inhaled, then turned and motioned for her to accompany him. "Come... I think now would be a good time for you to, how did you say it? Plunder my library?" He cast a sidelong glance at her, amusement once more showing in the depths of his mesmerizing eyes. "While I deal with Inuyasha and the females it will keep you occupied."

She grinned. "Actually, that sounds good. And you'll know right where I am come dinnertime," she teased.

"Hn."

Within minutes he had shown her once more to the library, and watched with an indulgent expression on his face as she wandered into the room and immediately forgot his presence in the wonder of the works around her. After lingering for a few moments he turned and slid the doors closed, his face losing all animation and going flat.

_Now to deal with the whelp and those infernal females. I sincerely hope he'll be amenable to letting those others go back to mother's palace. The aggravation is more than I had thought it would be..._

_It is a good thing that Kagome is not like those empty-headed bitches._

He shuddered, even mokomoko bristling with irritation at that thought.

_I can only thank the kami that she was created, _he thought in that moment, _or I would have remained alone permanently – I would rather be alone forever than stuck with a female like one of those. They resemble clucking hens more than inuyoukai._

He ran his hand through mokomoko's silky fur as he strode through the halls deep in thought, sincerely hoping that his brother and that female took to each other – so he could kick them out of his palace all the sooner and concentrate on his _own_ business...

Claiming the Lotus for himself... so he could spend the rest of his lifetime deciphering her mysteries...

Among other things.

He purred in anticipation.

~oOo~

A/N: Been a while since I've posted on this, I know! But... there's only one more chapter to go, so please be patient. It won't be long until the next one is out – I'm trying to finish off my open stories because I have an epic story in the works called Splinter'd Realities. And I mean epic. It's far different from anything I've ever written. Right now I'm about sixty thousand words into it in six chapters. But it's an Inupapa/Kag, though different than any I've ever seen on any ff website. At any rate, I still have Windows on the West and TONS of just started Sess/Kags, as well, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon!

Amber


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The females were silent for the first time since he'd brought them from his mother's palace, and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but be very glad as he dropped down to land gently on his mother's steps once more.

This time she was there to greet them rather than awaiting him on her portico. Running a discerning eye over them, she arched a brow when she realized who was missing. "Ah. He shows better taste than I had thought he would, choosing Hiroko – the only one of them that has any intelligence." She sighed, sweeping a hand towards the females in dismissal. "You have just made my life much more boring, Sesshoumaru – now there is no one left for me to actually talk to."

"That is your problem, Satori, not mine. There are always other inu that you could choose to have as attendants – it is only your own hubris that you will not allow any save silver inu around you," he replied, his whole attitude showing nothing but his own boredom in speaking to her. "My duty is done, your attendants are returned. I will take my leave of you."

Without another word he turned and leapt from her steps, eager to get away before she spoke again – every time she opened her mouth some keen, hurtful thing came out of it no matter who she was speaking to, and he had no patience for it on this day. On any day, really. But definitely not today, when his brother had chosen a female, was getting acquainted with her, and would soon be mated to her and living in his own residence. On top of that, his own female was residing in his palace as she was meant to do, and he would soon – _very soon_ – have her living in his rooms as his permanently bonded mate.

Life was good and he did not want to spoil it with his mother's sour disposition.

Moving rapidly back to his home Sesshoumaru let his thoughts wander over the last three years of his life, and how he'd become so drawn into the mystery that was Kagome. He had not noticed his own changed interest in her from a carefully explored idea to an even more carefully explored _female _until it was far too late.

He couldn't say he cared.

_Hn. Soon I will be exploring her even more carefully, _he thought as he penetrated the barrier surrounding the real center of the Western Lands and headed for the palace floating serenely above it. The naughty thought had him hardening and he sighed, immediately dowsing himself in carefully chosen desire-numbing mental pictures to get rid of the problem before he landed and had to actually walk.

His mating day could not come soon enough for him.

With that thought in mind he beckoned for his most trusted servant to follow him to his study.

When they arrived and he had seated himself, he asked, "My half-brother. Is he still with the female?"

"Hai, my Lord. They continue to wander the gardens. Is there some instruction in regards to them?" he asked in return, bowing.

"Yes. They are to be left alone except to be notified at dinner." The male nodded in acceptance. "And my female? Is she still in the library?"

"Yes, my Lord. She did not even come out for lunch, though she was notified. I took her a tray, instead, and she was most grateful."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "Very good. She is to be my mate and Lady of this place. Her needs are to be tended with alacrity on every servant's part. Is that clear? Nothing is sacred when it comes to her desires, though you should not fret," he added, amused at the worried look the male was attempting to hide. "She is not a very demanding woman, as unlike my mother as it is possible to be. You should know the palace would not have accepted her presence were she anything like Satori."

His man nodded, his relief evident, and bowed again. "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. I was not thinking, allowing such doubts. If she had been like the former lady, the palace would indeed not have tolerated her presence."

Sesshoumaru waved the servant away after acknowledging his words and stood to head for the library. He chuckled to himself as he remembered the anger his mother always suffered over the fact that the palace had refused her, not allowing her entrance – mate to his father or not. As he'd told Kagome before, the magic surrounding this place was somewhat sentient in nature, and it had not liked his mother at all. Because of that, Lady or not his father had been reduced to building another palace for Satori and installing her there.

She'd never gotten over that fact and was still bitter about it.

He wondered idly who the palace would have chosen for his father, but then shrugged. It was a moot point. He was simply content that it had accepted his own chosen, not that he had doubted that it would.

Next time he had need to see his mother and she decided to get snarky, he could bring that whole situation up. It would upset her enough to keep her claws out of him while she complained at the unfairness of it all. He could only hope, however, that he would have no need to see her again for a long, long while.

Opening the doors to the library with a silence only he was really capable of, though the doors themselves were oddly quiet as well, he entered the room but caught no sight of Kagome. He could feel her though and moved deeper into the room, striding between bookcases and tables with a deftness Kagome would envy, as she herself had almost stumbled a few times.

He was interested to find her curled up in a pile of pillows with two scrolls on the table beside her, and one held open in her hands as she read through it; he frowned as something occurred to him...

"Kagome?" When she looked up at him with a surprised expression, he gestured at the scrolls. "I thought you had said that you could only read the script of my time minimally. How were you so deeply into that scroll if that was so?"

She shook her head and looked back at the scroll in question with an odd look on her face. "It's strange, really. I know enough of your script in this time to slowly read some things, though there's a lot I don't know, and sometimes from the rest of the sentence I can figure out a difficult passage. But as I was puzzling through one of your scrolls, I felt this faint buzzing in my ears and got dizzy for a moment – and then I could read it as if it were my own script." He looked slightly surprised, and she pointed at the two scrolls on the table. "These guys here aren't even in our language – one is in ancient Chinese, which I can't speak at all, and the other is in what looks to be a very old form of English, which I do speak, though in its modern form. And yet I read them like I'd grown up with them as my own language."

Sesshoumaru blinked, then looked closer at the scrolls on the table. He recognized them both – his father had insisted on him learning several different languages, and he spoke both examples on the table fluently.

"You speak English. I remember."

"Yes. I speak English because as I mentioned once before, in my time it's the most spoken language there is. And the old English in this scroll is still understandable somewhat, though difficult to read through for its complexity. And I do speak a little modern Chinese, but certainly not this archaic version in that scroll." She eyed him suspiciously, then. "Can you read these scrolls, Sesshoumaru?"

With a nod, he sat near her and studied her face, though his mind seemed taken with something else. "Yes."

She scowled at him. "Why didn't you tell me you understood English?" she demanded, flushing as she thought back to the day she'd been singing in English and he'd questioned her on her knowledge of a foreign language, never once giving away that he also spoke it, though in an older form.

Brow sliding arrogantly into his bangs he pinned her to the floor with his understanding of just why she was so embarrassed. "Do not worry, Kagome. I did not understand what you were singing too well – it was too fast and the language has changed enough that it was not easy to follow. However, I did gather enough of what it was about from the way you blushed when I appeared," he finished complacently, seeming very satisfied with himself.

A growling sound echoed in the library and he met her gaze, his amused at her temper.

"Damn you, Sesshoumaru! One of these days," she said in a promising tone, "I'm going to knock you off that pedestal and stand back and laugh as you make a crater in the floor!"

"As I believe I told you before, do not hold your breath." He shook his head and held up a finger as he took the scroll she'd been holding from her, gently rolling it back up. "Do be careful, Kagome – these are irreplaceable. As for your sudden understanding of other languages, it is possible it is a benefit of the library. After all, the magic that created this place also went into this part of it – perhaps that was a part of the spell, and no one has noticed until now."

That subject arrested her temper and she looked thoughtful. "Didn't you mention that some of the scrolls here in the library spoke of the magic used to create the palace?"

"Hai."

"Then maybe I should look it up. If the library is capable of this, who knows what else the rest of the palace is capable of."

He shrugged. "If it would please you to research it then by all means, do so. However, I didn't actually come in here for discussion – I came to call you to dinner. It is time to put the scrolls away," he replied.

She pouted. "Couldn't I just have a tray like at lunch?" she asked, her voice almost whiny, and he cocked a brow at her.

"No. You will attend the meal. In preparation for that, you should go to your rooms and refresh yourself."

Her pout deepened and he looked at her, almost wanting to laugh. She looked like a spoiled child. "Was I perhaps mistaken when I named you woman, Kagome? Perhaps you are instead still a child? Be tranquil. The library has been here for thousands of years, it will still be here tomorrow and even the day after, I assure you."

With a huge, petulant sigh she stood up and moved slowly out of the cavernous room, feet dragging, and Sesshoumaru felt more like laughing in that moment than he ever had in his entire life. _Life with her will never be boring, and I will certainly end up losing my reputation for coldness – at least around her. I am quite able to retain my ice around everyone else, of course._

He paid no attention to why that was.

Kagome made her way towards her rooms, mind still in the library and lingering on some of the things she had read. Old tales long forgotten in her time, legends and stories of glamour and power that had her mind in other worlds. Of course, this palace was enough of what would be considered nothing more than a legend in her world that she had to smile... she could just imagine the tale that could be told with the creation of this place. Perhaps tomorrow she should begin reading the scrolls about her soon-to-be new home.

That thought about homes led her to other thoughts about why exactly she'd be living there as she readied herself for dinner that had her blushing deeply as she remembered the times he'd touched her. She couldn't help the flush of arousal that wrapped her body in a heated, spicy scent at that thought – but she wasn't prepared to have Sesshoumaru come through the doors to her room with crimson-rimmed eyes and a feral growl thrumming through his chest as he very obviously scented the air. Before she could even blink he had her in his arms and was devouring her mouth like a starving man – and she really, really didn't want him to stop.

"If you do not refrain from thinking of things that make you smell so delightful you will find yourself being mated on the table in front of Inuyasha, his female, and any servants who happen to enter the room, Kagome," he warned in between heated kisses that stole her breath and her logical thought processes with equal facility. "There is only so much provocation I can withstand."

"W-well, if you weren't walking into my room for no reason you wouldn't have smelled anything!" she defended, red-faced.

"I was here to escort you to dinner, Kagome – and allow me to disillusion you on your misconception about your scent. I would be able to smell your desire even were I in my own rooms. Smells carry much further than I think you realize – especially ones such as arousal and desire." He openly scented the air then, his crimson-tinged eyes closing in obvious enjoyment. "Your body is releasing pheromones that are enticing to any male, my sweet – and that is a very dangerous thing, because were another to be drawn into your scent so far that they forgot my claim on you they would very quickly find themselves dead."

Those types of thoughts quickly had Kagome's desire dying a rapid death, and as Sesshoumaru regained control of himself once more he allowed her to step from his arms. Striding to her door he slid it open for her and watched with hooded eyes as she followed after him and stepped out into the corridor, fully aware of what had caused her heated scent to fade.

"Does that thought bother you?" he asked as they moved through the halls at a steady pace. "That I would kill anyone who sought to take you from me?"

She shivered. "Of course it does! I mean, when we were in my world and all those women kept staring at you, you think I didn't know what they were imagining? I hated it," she flushed uncomfortably, but was determined to be honest, "I was jealous as hell. But you didn't see me trying to kill anyone, did you?"

"Ah, but you are not youkai, Kagome. The primal nature of the youkai, the single-mindedness towards what we choose as ours, those we choose to protect, does not exist in your calmer nature. Still," he said, a knowing gleam entering hot golden eyes, "would you just stand aside and allow another female to touch me? To throw herself at me?"

A scowl crossed Kagome's face at the thought, her fists clenching. _Would she?_ she wondered. The answer to that came quickly. "No... and maybe I'd even get into a fight over it, if the woman refused to back off. But I still wouldn't kill someone! That's such a... a _final _sort of thing!"

"Exactly," he purred as they reached the dining room and he again slid the large doors open, beckoning her into a part of the shiro she had not yet seen as the sounds of conversation flowed over them both and Kagome was abruptly made aware that Inuyasha and his intended were already in the room. "Which is the point. For if the encroaching male is dead they can never encroach again." He cast her an amused glance as she stepped past him. "Think you that your beloved Inuyasha is any different? Now that he has chosen a female any who attempt to interfere would be immediately eliminated."

Thinking back to the days of the quest and Kouga, Kagome had to accept his words – she was well aware that Inuyasha would have killed the wolf if he could have, which was why she'd always sat him. She didn't want someone dying for such a silly, petty reason. And especially as Inuyasha had never even been interested in her that way. But he had chosen to protect her, even though it was not as a mate, and that had been enough to trigger that killing instinct.

How much stronger would it be when protecting such a deep bond as one would have with a mate? Especially when emotions were involved? She sighed, somehow a little melancholy at such thoughts. She held no illusions – Sesshoumaru might want her physically and because of what power she could breed into his children, but she wasn't about to fool herself into thinking that his cold little heart had been won over and warmed by _her_. She'd resigned herself to accepting him without any love on his part, but that didn't mean that it didn't bruise her own heart a little, the thought of not having love like she'd always wanted – love like her parents had shared. She knew he would always take care of and protect her, and that he wanted her, but it wasn't quite the same. "Well, then I guess it's a good thing that it isn't any worse than it is or you'd be even crazier," she said, the flash of misery that had gone through her eyes not being missed by the inu Lord. "Ano... where should I sit?"

She eyed the long table with cushions set out along its length with little interest, suddenly not sure she was feeling all that hungry anymore but not wanting to let on to Sesshoumaru that anything was wrong... she did _not_ want him questioning her on her sudden withdrawal.

Little did she realize it was too late; with nary a warning of any kind he had her pinned to the wall of the room, completely ignoring Inuyasha's presence as well as anyone else's. He cared not at all who witnessed his interactions with Kagome, because their opinions mattered not a whit to him in any way.

"Why do we not discuss your sudden upset instead, Kagome," he said, pinning her eyes with his just as firmly as he'd pinned her to the wall. "And do not leave anything out, or we will stand here all night."

She had little hope that he would not do exactly as he'd said, but was completely unwilling to say anything at all about her little moment of angst. She doubted he'd understand her feelings anyway, since he didn't appear to have too many of his own. Ugh. _Why couldn't I have chosen someone who wasn't an icicle on the inside? _But in truth, she knew why. Because she wanted him, and because... she swallowed a bit bitterly as she admitted to herself her feelings, she loved him. She was simply following her heart, and knowing what he was like she'd still chosen to accept him. She would just have to deal with the lack of reciprocal feelings like a big girl and suck it up. She had no reason to complain since this was what she'd chosen.

"It's something private and no one else's concern, Sesshoumaru," she finally said, forcing her gaze away from him. "Please, let's just sit down and eat. I'm hungry."

"Hn," he breathed, considering her. After a moment he decided to give her this; she was genuinely uncomfortable and he did not want her to feel that way. So instead he let her go with a gentle caress of her cheek that had her looking back up at him with wide eyes, and gestured to the cushion that sat at his right side. "That is your seat from now on as my Lady, Kagome," he said, watching with thoughtful eyes as she took the indicated seat and waited for him to sit beside her.

Once he was seated the servants began setting the meal out before them, and Sesshoumaru glanced down the table at his brother, who met his eyes with a critical, weighing look that he cocked a brow at. After a moment's thought, he said, "After the meal I wish to speak with you, Inuyasha."

Tapping his chopsticks against his bowl of rice the hanyou eyed him narrowly and then nodded, obviously having a few things to say to him, as well. That bothered the daiyoukai not at all; he cared not for what the whelp thought of his interactions with his female.

The meal was taken mostly in silence as it appeared that both couples had a lot on their minds, and when the meal was over the two females excused themselves to go to their rooms for a time, while Inuyasha and his brother maintained their seats until both women were gone.

Sesshoumaru ignored the servants now clearing the remains of the meal from the table and beckoned his brother with one clawed finger. Nothing was said until they were both seated in the castle's study with bowls of sake in their hands.

"Speak."

Inuyasha eyed his brother with a moment of amusement and took a sip of his potent demon liquor. Then he asked, his voice neutral, "Why is Kagome unhappy?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at his brother as he swirled his sake easily in its bowl. He waited for a time, forcing his brother to hold in his impatience, then returned, "It is not your concern. However, she will not remain so. As soon as it is known what is bothering her it will be addressed and the issue fixed."

Inuyasha tossed his empty sake bowl onto his brother's desk and sighed with irritation. "Kami, Sesshoumaru, that's probably what the problem is right there! You're too fuckin' cold for someone with Kagome's warm and loving heart. She doesn't want someone who just wants to fuck her and use her for breeding her power into their brats!" The hanyou sat back and closed his eyes, wiping a hand down his face in frustration. "This whole thing with you two is just a really bad idea. You need to leave her alone, Lord of frostbite. You just can't give her what she needs!"

Sesshoumaru said nothing during his brother's rant, simply watched him calmly knowing what the boy was getting at. When he stopped talking and slumped in his seat, hand over his face, the daiyoukai spoke once more. "As I already said, Inuyasha, whatever the problem is will be addressed – but you are not invited. Whatever her concern, even if it is what you are intimating it is, is between her and I."

Dropping his hand, Inuyasha stared steadily at his brother for a moment and then sighed again. "Fine. But you'd better take care of it. I won't let her be unhappy. If anyone on this earth deserves joy and someone to be devoted to her, it's her. Now, was there anything you wanted to say to me, 'cause if not I'm leaving."

Steepling his fingers the inuyoukai arched a brow at his brother. "The female – is she the one you have definitely chosen?"

"Duh, Sesshoumaru, or I wouldn't have dismissed the others. What of it?" he snapped, reddening a bit at the change of subject.

"Has she agreed to the mating or have you yet asked her?"

"Not yet," the hanyou grumbled grudgingly. "We've only just met, you know."

Sesshoumaru was tempted to draw Bakusaiga and slap his brother over the head with the blade. "She is inuyoukai, Inuyasha. She has already made up her mind whether she will accept you or not. It is called instinct. _You_ are the one dithering at this point. So ask her and then find me immediately and let me know."

"What's the rush?" the hanyou asked suspiciously, eyeing his brother. "Ain't like my home is finished being built so it's not like I can take her there and mate her already anyway, ne?"

Closing his eyes and actually praying for patience with his thickheaded brother, Sesshoumaru breathed in and out for a moment, then opened his eyes and said, "There is a property I have on the southern borders of the Western lands. It's a small estate that is primarily used as a getaway, or somewhere to stay when I am on the southern routes on patrol. If you both have decided to accept each other, you may take her there."

Embarrassed, Inuyasha nonetheless eyed his brother with suspicion writ large on his face. "Keh. The question still remains, ba-" he gritted his teeth as he remembered his promise to Kagome, "-Sesshoumaru... what's the rush?"

Fingers beginning to glow with the itch to smack his idiot brother with his whip, Sesshoumaru also forcibly pulled himself back, knowing that fighting with him would only set Kagome off and delay certain things he was no longer willing to delay. He gritted his teeth and snapped, "Once you and your infernal female are gone, Inuyasha, I can commence my _own_ mating. And take heed – my patience is gone. I am not willing to wait any longer, so you had best get your future settled before night falls, because I want you two gone this evening."

Inuyasha blinked as he took in his usually stoic and icy brother, who at the moment was neither, and then he began to laugh. Shaking his head, he stood and turned to leave the room, throwing over his shoulder, "Never thought I'd see the day the Ice Prince would lose his cool – and over a female at that. My _Kagome_, no less. _You_ just can't wait to get laid!" Still laughing, the hanyou slid the door closed and went off down the hallway leaving his brother, who was seriously considering disemboweling his sibling, to regain his control – and temper. Never had he been more goaded by the hanyou – never.

_How vulgar can he be? Get laid? Is that what he calls the intimacy between mates? I find I am pitying his chosen more and more. And he worries over what Kagome is getting. I would never cheapen the desire I feel for her by describing it in such disgusting and low terms._

He shook his head with distaste and poured himself another bowl of sake. That was going to be the hardest thing about being mated to Kagome – the closer dealings he would have to have with his uncouth brother. He could distantly respect the whelp for his strength and for his loyalty to his pack. But... he would never be able to spend a great deal of time around the boy without wanting to kill him for his disgusting mouth.

Still, as aggravating as the idea was it wasn't enough to deter his desire for Kagome by so much as an inch, so he set it aside with a light growl and turned his attention to the details of his own mating instead. Which would take place tomorrow, without fail. It was time to take his obsession and make her his mate, his lover.

Standing from his desk he turned to stare out the window, watching the dying of the light as late afternoon faded into early evening while running his hand in a slow caress through his pelt, and pondering on what it would feel like to have her do it. He smirked devilishly. Yes, he imagined that it would feel very satisfying, indeed.

Finally he felt his brother's energy returning, and with a flash of golden eyes waited for him to knock. "Come," he said shortly, wishing to get the whole thing over with quickly.

Inuyasha stepped into the room and for once didn't beat about the bush. "She agreed."

"Good. Then ready yourselves and I will escort you to the estate I mentioned," he said, calm once more and in control.

Inuyasha simply nodded and left the room, Sesshoumaru following as he went to track down Kagome. She would want to know that Inuyasha had decided and that the female had accepted, and that they were leaving to commence the mating. She would also wish to say goodbye.

It didn't take long to track her to her room, and knocking on the door-frame he waited for her to beckon him inside. He frowned at the rather subdued, "Come in," that reached his ears but set it aside, knowing that he would be able to deal with any problems as soon as he had taken his brother and his female to their accommodations.

He stepped inside, eyes meeting her somber expression as she turned to look at him from where she sat looking out into the gardens. After a moment he said, "Inuyasha has asked the girl to mate him, and she has agreed. I am taking them to a small estate I have on the southern borders for privacy in a few minutes, but I thought you would wish to say goodbye."

Kagome blinked, surprised. _So fast?_ "Ano... isn't that awfully fast?" she asked.

"We are inuyoukai, Kagome. Even though Inuyasha is only half he still has the same instincts that we do. When we meet a compatible being we do not waste time as humans do with long courtships, as we have instinct and scent to help us decide quickly." He tilted his head as he looked her over. "Very few would wait even as long as I have since I decided that I wanted you. Of course, the circumstances between you and I are a little different, and it took me some time to realize that I wanted you as a male desires a female. Had we both been inu, that would not have happened. It took me so long to understand because I was so concentrated on finding the answers to the question that is you – and because whatever you may be, you are not youkai."

"Oh. But what about... you know, us?" she squeaked at the look in his eyes.

"I find that I have no more patience, Kagome," he said openly, and she knew immediately what he meant, blushing deeply. She swallowed heavily.

_Already? I know he said soon, but I didn't know he meant like... now! _But as she thought about it, his impatience and his words calmed her worries and she sighed, choosing not to deny him. She'd always known that Sesshoumaru was not like others, and that he would probably never say he loved her even if he did. She would just have to guess and hope. But his words just now did help – knowing that he had changed his opinion and found her to be worthy of his desire, whether she was youkai or not. It was a very large concession coming from him and she knew it. And that he was so impatient to have her, since Sesshoumaru was the poster boy for patience and the actual meaning of the word, said quite a bit to those who knew him.

So she didn't say anything more, just nodded and stood up, letting him escort her to the courtyard of the yamashiro where Inuyasha and his chosen female were already waiting. The female, Hiroko, watched her carefully as she stood beside Inuyasha.

Kagome smiled brightly at her best friend as he stood next to the beautiful female, blushing and not quite able to meet her eyes. She giggled a little at his obvious discomfort, and he looked up at her at that.

"Congratulations to both of you," she said, grinning as Inuyasha simply blushed harder and Hiroko bowed with a murmured, "Thank you." Still smiling, though the grin had softened, she sighed as she realized just how much everything was about to change. Despite her encouraging words the other day their paths were about to be sundered at least partially, and nothing would ever be the same again.

It had all happened so fast, and she could see just how awkward Inuyasha felt, no doubt realizing the same things she was. "Inuyasha," she began, before stepping up to him and wrapping her arms around him, not caring if the other two standing with them liked it or not. "As long as you're happy then I am happy," she whispered, knowing he would hear her. "And I will always love you, never forget that. And hey... we're gonna be family officially now, you know?" As he hugged her back she could feel his response as he squeezed her hard for one moment, and then nodded.

After a long moment she stepped back, sniffing and trying to hold her tears back. "Take care of each other, and don't forget that you have people that care about you, so if you ever need anything... well, you know where to come."

"Keh," Inuyasha said, his own eyes a bit shiny, though everyone was smart enough to say nothing about that. "The same goes for you, Kagome. If this iceberg here ever hurts you, you just come to me and I'll take care of it, okay?" he said gruffly, completely ignoring his older brother's growl.

She nodded, and with that Sesshoumaru informed her that he would be back within the hour and that they had a few things to talk about before finding their beds. When she acknowledged his words he promptly lifted into the air, his brother and his female following on her cloud. Once they reached the outside lands he would enfold them all into his light orb and take them to their destination.

Kagome's last sight of Inuyasha was of his bright red clothing fading into darkness, and his golden eyes as they looked right back at her until they were out of sight.

A few bittersweet tears suddenly her only company Kagome headed back into the shiro, wanting nothing more than to go wander in the gardens.

The future, which had always seemed so far away, was suddenly right in front of her and she was abruptly perched on the edge of forever.

It was a lot to take in.

~oOo~

It did not take long at all to arrive at his estate on the southern border in his orb form, and landing gently inside the hei he moved forward without a word through the baileys while flaring his aura to call his head servant to him so instructions could be given on his guests and his duties to them. Both Inuyasha and Hiroko were silent, looking around with interest at this much more traditional, land-bound estate that Sesshoumaru owned.

It was obviously nowhere near the size of the ancestral palace but was still impressive for all that, being quite large in comparison to other estates of similar structure. Anyone seeing it would know of the overwhelming wealth of the owner, but it wasn't overly ostentatious as some human estates of equal size might have been, it was simply in the quality of the construction and the accoutrements that the impression of wealth was given.

Honestly, looking it over with a critical eye it wasn't that different to how his own home would soon be – Inuyasha had managed to find a youkai work crew to build his palace, and knew that it would surpass any human dwelling around. And he was wealthy enough to make it a very beautiful, comfortable home – his soon-to-be mate would not want for anything.

It felt good to know that he could actually provide his mate and future family with such comfort. Especially as she was soon to be technically the new Lady of Setsuna. Out of respect to his mother he was going to bring the clan back from obscurity to shining wealth and power that would not fade with time.

He couldn't think of anything else he could give to the woman who had given him life but to revive her family name as he could not her and bring it back to the importance it had once held. And if any thought to challenge him, they would die.

Orders given and servant standing by waiting for Inuyasha's wishes to be known, Sesshoumaru nodded curtly to his brother and then, shocking him almost to death he let his face soften just a bit, allowing his sincerity to shine through and said, "Congratulations, little brother, on your mating. You have chosen well, and will bring honor to our family name." With that he bowed just slightly to his brother and his female and then took to the air without further ado, not waiting for a reply he knew might take Inuyasha a few to get out in his surprise.

_And now that you are taken care of, Inuyasha, it is time for me to see to my own future. One I have waited for far longer than even I had realized. _

~oOo~

Kagome stared at the night sky shimmering above her with pensive eyes, knowing that her whole life was about to change. But she was ready for that change, and looking deep within she knew that it was a necessary change – a right change.

Still, it was a big deal – not to mention she had no idea what the mating practices of inuyoukai were like. It could be anything from normal copulation – she blushed – to some elaborate ceremony and she was feeling a bit uncertain of herself in respect to that part of things.

Arms clasped around her knees she sat back and enjoyed the breeze filtering over her, leaving her skin cool and her senses filled with the scents from the garden and the world around her. It was a simple pleasure that no one in her time would ever get, and she smiled a little as she whispered her thanks to the kami that her life was so different.

She also sent up a prayer for Inuyasha and his mate-to-be – that they would be happy and have many children in their long lives. She never wanted her best friend in all the world to be unhappy again – he'd suffered enough of that in his life as far as she was concerned.

Her thoughts turned then to her mother, and she chuckled a little as she thought of her last visit with her and her mother's rather prophetic words about her 'marital' status – or the nomenclature she would soon be sporting. Mate. It never failed to amaze her how her mother always knew things – half the time even before she did, as with this situation. _I suppose it is easier for people on the outside looking in to see things that those who are too close to the situation miss. Still... I wonder if my children will ever look at me with that flabbergasted expression on their faces as I do the all-knowing mother routine._

Thoughts of children soon had her blushing as her mind came full-circle and placed her right back at the beginning – thoughts of what was about to happen to her. And once again her mind started running in circles, causing her to sigh and give up.

Getting to her feet she began wandering through the trees, wishing she could reach the floating islands to walk around them, too.

It took a moment after that thought flashed through her mind for her to actually focus all her attention on it, and then she wished she could kick herself – she was change personified, wasn't she? So what more basic way to use her nature than to change _herself_?

With that thought she focused on her body, and quickly picturing a certain animal in her mind she shimmered, her form shrinking as she coalesced into a mid-sized falcon, the light settling as it disappeared inside her skin.

With a shake she looked herself over, pleased with how she appeared, especially as this was her first time trying such a thing. Taking a moment to preen her feathers she shook off the desire to find a good tree and sleep, since this type of raptor was a diurnal creature, and with a powerful leap launched herself into the air, a fierce cry of joy breaking free of her throat at the way it felt to soar with the wind under her wings.

_I can't believe I've missed this all this time! This would have been a handy thing back on the hunt for Naraku! Ugh. I wonder what else I'm not thinking of that could be fun or even helpful?_

Riding the night breezes flowing around the floating islands for a few minutes she finally picked out one of the larger ones and landed on the branch of a large tree and then took the short hop down to the ground, flaring her wings around her to slow herself as she came in to land. After folding her wings back down she allowed herself to flow back into her normal form and sighed, flushed with pleasure.

That had been totally thrilling! She decided that she would have to try that again come morning, when she could go for a good, long flight just for the joy of it.

Blood still flowing excitedly through her she smiled as she wandered the island, enjoying the slow brush of the greenery around her against her skin as the breeze rustled through. Never in her life had she ever felt so good, and she almost wished that she could stay out here all night. She didn't feel like going inside to bed at all.

Finding a particularly beautiful spot where two trees had grown together and a type of creeping ivy had grown all over them, vining and creating a small bower, she sat down against the back of one of the trees and just curled up, calm and happy and content as she'd never been before drifting off to sleep, forgetting for the moment that a daiyoukai was soon going to be looking for her.

Sesshoumaru landed at his gates and looked up at the magnificent dwelling he called home with pride, his eyes wandering the profile of the great yamashiro he'd inherited as the Lord of the West, and was pleased – just as pleased as he was with the female he would take to mate very soon. She would do this place justice... there was no denying that, for as it was a one of a kind so was she.

Moving swiftly through the halls he tried to track Kagome, but frowned – he was having a very difficult time doing so. He could feel her as he headed for the gardens... but once there it was like only small, occasional bursts of her aura came through. It was not enough to track her.

Tilting his head into the breeze as soon as he reached the garden he analyzed the scents and blinked, startled – her scent actually seemed to be coming from _above_ him. He wondered how that was possible. Taking to the air himself, he finally tracked her down to a small bower on one of the floating islands. He looked around at it as he landed softly, pleased. It was a beautiful spot, one he would have to remember for himself.

His attention turned then to the small female that was occupying the prime spot, and he watched her for a few moments as she slept peacefully, her face soft and content with a small smile still tilting her lips upward.

After a moment he sat down near her and used his youki to wake her, gently feathering it over her until she woke, groggily looking for the source of the interruption to her nap. When her eyes landed on him she blinked sleepily and then sat up, rubbing her eyes to clear the sleep from them.

"Oh! Sesshoumaru. Did you already take care of Inuyasha? That was quick," she muttered as she sat up and shook herself fully awake. When he didn't answer her she asked, "So... what was it that you wished to talk about?"

After a moment more of simply watching her, no expression on his face, he draped an arm over his knee and tilted his head up to stare at the sky. Just as she began to be entranced by his ethereal beauty into forgetting her question, he spoke. "What upset you earlier?"

For a moment she'd forgotten about her earlier angst; blushing lightly she shook her head. "It was just a moment of silliness, Sesshoumaru, just forget about it."

"Your blush gives you away, Kagome. I know what was on your mind." He slanted a glance at her, his eyes opaque and giving nothing away. "Do you have any questions about the mating?" he asked coolly.

Blinking in confused startlement at the rapid change of subject, she took a moment to answer. "Well, yeah, of course I do. I mean, it's not like I know what all's going to happen."

"Hn." After a momentary silence, he spoke. "Normally the couple takes their true forms and the male chases the female. Once caught, the female submits and then they may mate in whichever form they prefer, though most seem to prefer doing so in their humanoid forms – humans are much more... shall we say... _versatile_ in their ways of mating? It is the only thing that I will agree that humans are more... blessed in."

Kagome froze at that. Sesshoumaru... _admitting_ that there was something that humans did better? And _sex?_ The world had just ended, she was sure of it. Still, after shoving that shock away she took in his other words. "So... you're saying that because I'm not inuyoukai we won't be able to have the normal mating that your kind usually does?"

He inclined his head. "Aa."

She thought back over what she'd done earlier and then a slow smirk stole over her face, causing Sesshoumaru to look at her with a faintly questioning expression in golden eyes. She didn't answer, simply closing her own eyes and repeating her earlier actions. This time though, she took on the form of an inu; silver fur, perky ears like Inuyasha, a pelt like Sesshoumaru's and plush tail included, and as the light surrounding her died down she barked at the daiyoukai, a very pointed doggy grin baring dangerous fangs as she did.

For the first time in his life Sesshoumaru found himself taken aback, totally stunned by another. Her bark was easily understood by him – she was teasing him, daring him to question her on what she'd just done.

"Explain!" he barked back, taking her up on the dare, eyes narrowed and rimmed with crimson sclera. If she was taunting him...

A series of barks and yips told the story – and then she transformed back, laughing at the look on his face. "Come on, Sesshoumaru – I'm the personification of change, aren't I? What more basic change is there than changing your form?"

He was silent for some time, simply staring at her blankly, and she sighed. _No sense of humor at all. _"Oh, for kami's sakes, what's the big deal?" she asked, beginning to be uncertain of her actions.

In Sesshoumaru's eyes there was only one thing to say to the impudent but beautiful little female he had planned on mating tomorrow – but was now going to mate tonight.

"Run, Kagome. Run," he hissed as he began to be taken over by his own change of form.

Eyes widening, Kagome stared at him with a stunned expression for all of _one second_ – and then she began to change as well, knowing he would not take it easy on her.

_Let the games begin!_ she thought triumphantly to herself.

There was no way she was going to make things easy on the arrogant dog either, so she'd made a few 'modifications' to her own canine form. Like... she'd made herself resemble him fairly well on the outside, but most of that was just her light covering of fur. In reality she'd made her frame almost more like that of a Greyhound... built for speed, every muscle and line pared down to perfection to be the fastest dog on earth.

He was going to have to try very hard to catch her, and that was all there was to it. She would worry about what would happen afterward later, although in this canine form the normal human nervousness over one's first sexual experience wasn't there. At any rate, she'd think about it later. With one last look over her shoulder at the now canine Sesshoumaru, she winked and then barked her challenge to him before taking off and running for all she was worth – straight for the edges of the garden and the fall to the earth from the floating palace, Sesshoumaru hot on her tail.

As she leapt from the edge of the yamashiro to the earth rather far below, she had to allow that there was such a freedom in forms other than a humanoid one that she was finding it almost preferable to be in other forms. The incredible feeling of flying through the air, powered by powerful pinions was as heady as anything she could ever imagine. And in the canine form there was a sense of joy, of the wind in ones fur as you ran like the wind. She could feel every muscle bunch and release in perfect harmony to propel her at speeds a human's form would never know.

And yet in a way she felt suddenly sorry for Sesshoumaru as she tore across the ground, said inuyoukai behind her. For he would only ever know the feeling of having two forms, and would never have the chance to truly fly like she could. It wasn't the same, his cloud or even his light orb, to actual _flight._

Looking quickly back over her shoulders she caught sight of Sesshoumaru trailing a bit far behind her, and could tell that he was annoyed – and intrigued. She could almost hear him puzzling over her speed, and snickered inwardly at that thought. She raised her muzzle and howled, a challenging howl she knew he would never be able to ignore and sure enough there was a return howl, a call telling her that he would capture her and that she _would_ submit.

There was no question that she would, but it would not happen too soon. No... they would be running for quite a while.

A wicked grin flashing fangs that were far sharper than normal Kagome picked up her speed, drawing away from the eager inu behind her as she headed towards the barrier around the area, and gathering herself, punched through it like a battering ram, bursting into the outside lands and dashing away before he could even get through himself.

Slowing to a trot Sesshoumaru approached the barrier and then slipped through it, scenting the air for any kind of threat to his mating chase or intended. He growled, eyes flickering dangerously as he caught the scent of another inu male; it seemed that he had heard one of Kagome's occasional taunting howls and was being drawn to her.

There would be battle this night.

Making use of something that Kagome hadn't remembered he could in this form, he folded himself into his light orb and flashed after her scent and sound, knowing that the other inu male would not be far behind.

When he landed he was actually ahead of Kagome, and returning to his humanoid form he stared impassively at the other male in the meadow. _Black inu, _he thought with little true interest. "Leave. You are interrupting a mating chase. I will not warn you again."

The other male said nothing, just stared in the direction that Kagome was coming from, but before Sesshoumaru could attack and eliminate his opponent she arrived in the meadow, coming to a skidding halt when she took in the standoff. She moved closer to Sesshoumaru cautiously as the other male stared at her and yipped at him questioningly. When he didn't answer immediately she returned to her normal form in a beautiful swirl of light.

"Sesshoumaru... what's going on?" she repeated, looking from him to the other male warily.

It wasn't Sesshoumaru that answered.

"I challenge for the female," the black inu growled, meeting Sesshoumaru's glare with one of his own.

"Have you no breeding, you poor excuse for an inu? It is not done to interrupt a mating chase – the time for challenges is before, you bakayarou," Sesshoumaru answered, coldly dangerous as his instincts began clamoring for the male's death. "Leave."

The black inu, however, did not reply, simply attacking immediately, and Kagome, having come from her inu form just moments before still had enough of those instincts flowing through her blood that she knew not to interfere. Instead, shivering in reaction, she stood aside and watched, knowing no other would defeat Sesshoumaru and that the other male had bought death on this night. She let out a mournful whimper at the thought that the silver god now fighting the other male heard and interpreted.

Imagine her shock a few minutes later when a victorious Sesshoumaru did not kill the rival male. Instead he held Bakusaiga at his throat and demanded he surrender. When the black inu, with a sour expression lifted his chin, Sesshoumaru forced him to give his word to leave instantly and not attack again, then snapped his sword away from the inu's throat and sheathed it. "Go."

He watched as the male gave one last wistful glance in Kagome's direction and then turned and left, disappearing into the night. Once he was satisfied that the dog was indeed gone he turned to Kagome, who was now approaching him with a somewhat curious smile.

"You didn't kill him," she said, gratitude in her eyes as he'd known there would be.

"No. However, with as impulsive as he is he will die by someone's claws before long. One can only hope he learns before he faces such a thing."

"I'm glad you didn't, but I don't understand _why_ you didn't. I knew, you see – I could feel in the canine instincts that the normal outcome of such a challenge was death. So... why didn't you follow through on what I know your instincts were clamoring for?"

He eyed her meaningfully. "Because I knew it would disturb you once things were back to normal. I did not wish for our mating night to be so tainted in your eyes, especially considering that originally I had not planned to mate you for a week or so yet."

"What?" she blinked.

"I had planned to give you a little more time," he replied. "However, certain... circumstances have conspired against me and I can simply no longer wait."

"Oh." She thought over his words for a moment, and then smiled. "So... I suppose I should get busy running again, ne?" she asked, and as he inclined his head in agreement she giggled and once more switched forms, running off into the distance as he gave her a bit of a headstart.

Finally though, his blood running heatedly through his veins, he flashed into his true form again and howled in eager enjoyment as he took off after her. Within moments the meadow lay once more dark and quiet behind him.

Little did she know that she had just intrigued the hell out of him with her words about canine instincts. Did that mean that she was _actually_ an_ inu _at this moment in time as she wore a form that looked so much like his own and yet was not? She was change personified, yes... but did that mean that when she took on a particular form, she became that thing? Inside, where it counted?

Was the change absolute, just as his was?

He would definitely have to ask her, but that line of question she'd left him with escorted in another – would she wish to commence the mating in this form, or in their human forms?

Now, _that_ thought intrigued him and he howled again, hearing her faint answer, and used his youki to increase his speed; she would not escape him no matter what trick she used.

As his pace quickened even more his blood answered his call and rushed through his body, preparing him for what was soon to take place. And with Kagome's new ability he didn't wonder how she'd handle the mating any longer.

She was even more than he'd known, his mother had been right.

One last thought chased itself through his mind, over and over...

What else was the little woman hiding under her innocent-seeming exterior?

~oOo~

A/N: And here's the next chapter of Ever the Lotus. Been a long time, eh? It was supposed to be the final chapter, but I just couldn't fit what I wanted to in it, so there will be one more – the mating chapter, basically, though I'm not sure I'm going to put in an actual lemon. We'll see...

Amber


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A light breeze swept the tall grasses of the darkened meadow softly, a barely-there hiss of sound that no one was around to hear. The stars lay cold and still above while open areas that lay away from the shelter of the trees were bathed in the cool wash of the almost full moon.

Suddenly, a bright flash of white burst into the wide clearing, moving through it so swiftly that it didn't even disturb the feeding rabbits and mice before it was gone once again – only to be followed by another white flash of light some seconds later.

Sesshoumaru raised his muzzle and let out a deep bell-toned howl, then listened intently for the answering howl from ahead so that he could gauge Kagome's proximity. When it came, he snarled – she was not too far ahead of him now, and it wouldn't be long before he caught her.

He'd been shocked when Kagome had transformed herself into a female inu after he'd told her the basics of a normal inu mating, but the moment she'd done so in such a challenging manner his patience had abruptly run dry and he had decided then and there to commence the mating. Which began with a chase... she'd led him a merry one so far, he had to admit – he suspected she was cheating somehow, moving so fast, but it mattered little – sooner or later he would have her, and that would be that.

It appeared it would be sooner, though they had traveled a very great distance from his palace on their run and he would need to fly them back to it. He was determined that the actual mating would be conducted in his palace, in what would always now be their rooms. For their first time... they would be in their human forms. If she wanted to mate in their inu forms at another time he would be quite happy to oblige, but for this first time... he had plans, things he wanted to do to her that wouldn't be possible in his true form.

He passed through a bit of forest and right over a large river, and then once more pushed past the tree line and onto a huge plain; with a triumphant growl he caught sight of Kagome's fleeing form not too far ahead. She appeared to finally be tiring just a little, and he had to admit he was getting a bit tired of running, as well. He was certain this was one of the longest chases any one of his clan had endured – they'd run across a great deal of the entire island, and were long since out of the Western Lands.

Gathering his youki he pushed his power into his body, increasing his speed to begin the final push of the chase; slowly, bit by bit he crept up on her and prepared himself to pounce. Once in position, with her sleek body just barely before him he gathered himself as every muscle in his body answered his call and pushed off into the air, coming down on her perfectly, his jaw just at her neck as he clamped his fangs around the extra skin and fur that lay there, protecting her delicate flesh. With a deep snarl he demanded her submission, and after a quick attempt to dislodge him, when it became evident that he had too good a grip and she was well and truly caught she went limp and let out a low whimper, submitting as he'd demanded.

Flushed with triumph – and other things – Sesshoumaru released his hold on her and stepped back before releasing his energies and taking his human form once more. He didn't have to say a word to Kagome; instinctively understanding what he wanted she also slipped back into what was her true form, and he watched, fascinated as she did – it was a different process entirely than his own transformations.

When he changed it was all done through his youki, and there was a large explosion of his power when he did so. With Kagome it was more of a simple blurring of her form and a swirl of light, and once you could actually focus on her again, she was in another shape. There was little power used, apparently, and it was a quicker transformation.

"Tell me, miko," he said, the word 'miko' coming out mockingly as it always did now whenever he used it. "How did you figure this-" he gestured at her vaguely, "-change out?"

She knew what he meant. "It just kind of occurred to me earlier – if I'm supposed to be change, what more basic change is there than changing your own form? I wanted to get to the floating islands in your garden, and so I decided to try it and see if I could. It was actually surprisingly easy, even to change into things I hadn't ever thought of before – like a hawk."

"Hn. I am curious. When you spoke earlier of the fight with the black inu, you said that you knew that it would be to the death because of the instincts running within you. Do you mean to say that when you change, it is not just the visible form – but that you actually _become_ whatever it is you have chosen to take the shape of?"

Kagome nodded, her own brow furrowed in thought. "Yes. Apparently the change of shape is absolute. So when I became the hawk earlier I immediately wanted to go to sleep, since that type of bird is diurnal. I had to fight the urge."

"One wonders what other surprises are hiding inside you, Kagome," he said, eyeing her curiously as he took in her words. "Will I ever know everything there is to know of you?"

A nonchalant shrug was his answer. "I don't know. Does it matter right now?"

He canted his head to the side in an oddly adorable way – at least to Kagome's eyes – and demurred. "No."

An almost awkward silence fell for a moment as he just looked at her, and she fidgeted. "So... what's next?" she finally managed to ask as her cheeks darkened with a pretty blush. She couldn't believe she was asking him that – or that she was having to prompt him.

A flash of movement and then the world dipping and swaying around her was her answer as Sesshoumaru swept her into his arms and launched himself into the air. "We return to the West."

Her eyes narrowed; was he becoming even more taciturn than he usually was? "And then?" she asked pointedly.

He glanced down at her with a cocked brow. "We mate, woman."

Yep, he was becoming more taciturn. "Is there a reason you're giving such bare bones answers? I mean, you've never exactly been loquacious, but this is getting ridiculous – especially in these _particular_ circumstances," she retorted, her fingers coming up to tighten in his hitatare.

A nearly inaudible sigh escaped his lips; of course there was. He was busy imagining things that were probably better left unspoken, and she was ruining that with her seeming need to speak.

"What is it you wish me to say, Kagome?"

She glared up at him impatiently. "Well, an explanation of what next to expect would be nice! After all, you did say this whole-" she waved her hand around in the air in a vague manner meant to indicate the mating, "-thing could go several different ways. I'd like to know what's coming, you know!"

Fair enough.

"We will return to the palace, where our first mating will be conducted in these forms. After the first time-" a clearly knowing, perverted smirk crossed his face, "-we can do anything you wish to do, woman. But for the first time, there are things I wish to do to you that cannot be done in my true form."

The blush deepened and her eyes fell; she looked everywhere but back up at him, to his everlasting amusement. "Oh."

"And now _you_ are the one becoming taciturn," he pointed out, mocking laughter clear in his voice.

"Don't laugh at me, Sesshoumaru, or I'll put a crimp in your plans by putting this whole thing on hold," she said warningly, glaring up at him fiercely, despite her red cheeks and her continuing inability to actually meet his eyes. She was giving the hoary eye to his crescent moon, it seemed, and he rumbled against her, more amused than he could ever remember being. She would certainly liven up his life, there was no mistaking that.

"Do not count on it, little one. You are the one that brought this on yourself at this point in time; I had not planned on mating you quite this quickly, but the way you challenged me earlier and then taunted me sealed your fate," he countered, amusement still in his voice though there was now a warning edge to it.

Choosing to ignore his words completely she shivered, then looked plaintively up at him after another shiver swept through her. "I'm cold," she said, and it was more than obvious she was waiting for him to fix the problem. And he would, too – after all, she was now his to protect... in every way, even from something as insignificant as a little cold air.

Without a word mokomoko moved from his shoulder to wrap around her and then squeeze lightly, and Kagome practically purred as Sesshoumaru began releasing his youki in dark waves to thrum against her soul; it was like being caressed by a million tiny fingers and she went limp in his embrace, too relaxed to continue talking to Sesshoumaru's distinct pleasure. It allowed him to get back to what he had been doing previously – planning out his next moves, a step-by-step guide laid out in his mind to everything he wanted to do to the wily female he wanted with such... desperation.

Already he was hard and wanting, and that fact didn't bother him as he'd thought it would. Though it spoke of a loss of control, which was something he'd always hated before he couldn't really complain; it was a lesson he'd finally learned – nobody was perfect, and if she was his only weakness then so be it. After all, if he had no problem controlling himself with her then she would be no different than any other female he'd ever come across, and he had no wish to be tied for eternity to a female he could ignore so easily. That was why he'd never even considered taking a mate before now – he'd never come across a female that didn't basically bore him to death, and he refused to spend any amount of time tied to a female that did nothing more than put him to sleep – or left him with the desire to gut her, as many truly had.

She was such a pleasurable weakness to have, he mused as he glanced down at her. Even just holding her as he was made his skin prickle with awareness and his body respond ardently to the touch of her soft, delicate flesh. He was absolutely certain that his own skin was a thousand times more sensitive than it normally was just because he was holding her and the sheer need he felt to be touching her was heightening his desire even more. It was a circle, vicious and perfect in its grip – and he had no desire to escape it – it felt magnificent to actually allow his body free reign to _feel _so very much for the first time in his entire life.

For so long he had kept himself apart, and nothing he'd come across in all the centuries since his birth had tempted him to wish to feel anything more than the anger he'd carried towards his half-sibling. And he hadn't. So when Kagome had taunted him, daring to stand against him in his father's tomb that very first time, the anger and curiosity he'd felt towards her had shocked him. Nothing else besides his vendetta against his father by way of his brother was important enough to engender any feeling whatsoever – but her. That fact had fed his anger – but also his fascination.

And of course, he'd always sought power. When she'd proven her power there at the end, finishing Naraku off in such a spectacular fashion that had been the final straw, so to speak – he _would_ find answers to his questions about her, so that then he could file her away in his mind and forget about her.

It hadn't turned out that way. He smirked to himself. No, instead she'd snared even more of his attention, and before long she'd done what no other being had ever done – she'd incited his desire.

Sesshoumaru wasn't the type to deny himself anything he wanted; there was no reason to, after all. And the moment he'd accepted that he desired her, the little miko who was no miko, he'd accepted the fact that he would mate a female that was not youkai with absolutely no remorse whatsoever. He answered to no one but himself, and if he wanted this female that seemed so human and yet was not then he would take her, and anyone who questioned his choice would either be ignored, or if they actually attempted to stop him from taking the female he desired, would die. Simple as that. He would tolerate no interference whatsoever.

The first clue that something was wrong actually came from the stiffening figure of Kagome; wondering why his little female, who had just moments before been so relaxed she'd almost been limp was now stiff and unwieldy in his arms, he tightened his arms around her.

"What is wrong, Kagome?" he demanded softly.

She didn't answer right away, but just as he was beginning to become agitated she said, "Don't you feel it? We're almost home, but there's someone waiting for us."

He frowned, not sensing anything. "Who?"

Surprised eyes flashed up to meet his questioning ones, and she shook her head. "You can't feel him?" she frowned to herself. "Then why can I? That makes no sense."

"Kagome," he growled, becoming agitated as he began to feel something... _off_ nearby, though he still couldn't get a sense of who was there.

"It... it feels like your father, Sesshoumaru," she whispered with large eyes meeting his stunned gaze. "I remember him, you know, from when we fought Sou'unga. It feels like him."

Immediately he searched the area around them as he settled back to the earth, straining every sense he had and wondering why Kagome could feel what he could not. Perhaps because of her connection to kami, or her own amorphous and unknowable power – and the fact that his father was still in the other world, though he was no longer really dead in the true sense?

He opened the portal and then stepped inside – only to to see that Kagome had been correct as he was confronted with one he hadn't thought to see on this side again, since he'd said he would be remaining on the other side.

The question begged to be asked as his sire glanced at him and then turned his attention on the woman in his arms. "Why?"

He was forced to wait as his father's gaze seemed to be taken with staring at Kagome; she returned his look with curiosity – and awe. After a moment a large smile brightened her face.

"Inuyasha really does look like you!"

Sesshoumaru relaxed minutely as his father smiled at Kagome's cheerful announcement, though he was still so surprised that his aggravation that their mating had been interrupted – yet again – hadn't quite reared its head yet.

"Father?" he prompted, his voice edged with something that finally tore his sire's attention away from Kagome. "I thought you had chosen to stay on the other side despite Tenseiga's mercy."

"I was overruled. Kami came to me there and told me that things always happen for a reason, and that Tenseiga hadn't returned me to life for me to stay in the world of the dead." His eyes grew pensive then. "And I found myself suddenly yearning for things that the dead do not. I wanted to smell _life_ again, rather than the death to be found in the underworld; because Tenseiga resurrected me I once more had the senses of the living – and their desires, as well. Even without the interference of the kami, I do not think I could have stayed there for long."

The younger daiyoukai couldn't deny that he was glad to have his father returned in some ways, but in other ways... "What of the Western Lands, then?" he asked as he allowed Kagome to slide to her feet, suddenly uncertain of what the future was to hold; he no longer had the ambition to fight his father and kill him in a battle for supremacy, but he wasn't willing to give up what he'd held and even expanded for the last two hundred years, either.

At that, his father turned his full attention to him and held him in a weighing gaze. It was a familiar look to Sesshoumaru, and it took him back to the many times as a pup he'd been pinned by that same gaze. A bit of nostalgia pinched at his usually well-hidden heart – one that was more open at this time because of his pending mating.

Which reminded him...

Before he could say anything else his father spoke, commanding his attention once more.

"I am not here to take control of the lands back from you, Sesshoumaru. You are doing an excellent job with them, and I am pleased with your performance. No... this time I am free of that responsibility, free to do whatever it is that I _want_ to do. I am, however," he smirked at his son, "still your sire, still alpha. Do you wish to challenge me for it?" he asked.

"As long as you stay out of my business, then no, father, I do not. But you must understand, I run my own life, and refuse to answer to anyone else."

The Inu no Taisho merely nodded as his son marked his personal boundaries; he could say little, since he had done the same with his sire once he had reached his maturity. It was normal for all pups to grow up and become somewhat independent, despite the pack mentality.

"Where is your brother?" he asked, his eyes drifting over to a clearly fascinated Kagome. "I can see I have interrupted something-" he chuckled at her vivid blush, "-and should take myself off."

"Your sense of timing is exquisitely awkward, as usual, father," Sesshoumaru said blandly, "as Inuyasha is also in the midst of taking a mate. I daresay, since he has been at it longer, that if you were to show yourself now he would probably attack you in a frenzy for interrupting at such a crucial time."

"I see," he said, plainly pleased. "And his mate?"

"One of mother's attendants. Hiroko."

"Ah, yes, your mother," the inuyoukai murmured, a certain look on his face intriguing Kagome. "I should go see her, I think. It would be only proper to greet her."

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. "Enjoy that, father. She has not changed at all. She is just as caustic as she always was."

A dry expression on his face the Inu no Taisho took to the air, heading for the outside world. "I did not think it had, Sesshoumaru – it is ingrained in her to be so. Blessings be upon your mating, my son. You could not have chosen better."

_Chosen? Hardly, father, since I was already fated to be her mate by the kami. _He shrugged that thought off and picked a silent Kagome back up and took to the air himself, flying serenely back up to the palace floating above them.

"I'm glad your father approves of me," Kagome said after a moment, still too surprised by that little visitation to say much else.

"Sophistry," Sesshoumaru snorted, not meeting her eyes. "Since he is the one that politely informed me that I was born for one purpose, and that purpose was to be a 'prize' for you. The kami gifted me to you for doing your duty," he finished, a certain distaste for that fact in his voice.

Kagome blinked, then blinked again, and then stiffened just as he landed and set her down. Moving back away from him, she stared at him in horror. "W-what did you say?" she whispered. "You don't really want me, you are just doing what you've been told you have to?"

She was taken aback at the harsh bark of laughter that met her words. "Come, Kagome – when have you ever known me to meekly go along with fate or the kami? I make my own choices. Yes, father pointed out that my purpose in life was to be by your side. But if I had not wished to be, I would have had no compunction about telling them all 'where to get off', as I overheard someone say in your world."

Inappropriate or not, Kagome couldn't help the laugh that tore from her throat at his words, though she was far from happy at this point in time. It was clear she didn't quite believe him.

"If the gods chose you as my... 'prize', as you say, then they would have made sure to make the idea pleasing to you, Sesshoumaru. It would have done little good to put a couple together that could not stand each other," she murmured, withdrawing from him. "You haven't chosen me of your own will, but by the will of the kami. I can't accept you on those terms... it's not right for them to force the issue in such a way, either. You should be free to choose for yourself."

Amused at her answer because it had been the same as his he shook his head and took her hand, leading her into the confines of the palace. "At first I said the same when father told me. But he pointed out that just because the kami know the choices that we will make does not mean they made them for us." He flicked a quick glance at her over his shoulder, noting her mulish expression. She was being stubborn... "Had the kami no place in this matter at all still my desires would not change. So the kami knew we would make a match. _I do not care_. It simply means that you are perfect for me, and since I already think this what the gods intended in this situation means exactly nothing to me at all."

_Trust Sesshoumaru to trash the gods as having no say in anything when it comes to him, _Kagome thought wryly, allowing him to tug her into the palace without resistance, even though what had been said still lay like a bad taste across her tongue. Despite the fact that she could understand his words there was still something distasteful to her in that the gods had any part in such a subject at all. Still, there was nothing she could do about it and so she shrugged her distaste off and turned her mind to other things.

Of course at such a time there was only one place for it to turn, and Sesshoumaru visibly stiffened before her, tension tightening his shoulders and his grip on her hand as arousal coiled off of her body and beckoned to his. Little did she know that he was seconds away from picking her up and flying through the palace to reach their rooms all the faster.

"Unless you wish to be taken right here in the halls of the shiro, Kagome, you had best think on other things," he growled warningly as her scent spiked again. He cast a scarlet-hazed golden glance at her over his shoulder, the heat simmering in the look enough to knock the air out of her lungs.

_Oh, dear gods, _she thought, unable to look away as he continued to stare at her over his shoulder while still leading her along through the halls with unerring accuracy. _He looks like he'd like to eat me alive with just his eyes. _Her body shuddered and her eyes slid to half-mast, her imagination supplying her with a very naughty vision of him doing just that.

It was not very surprising when he turned on her and grabbed her up into his arms, just as he'd warned her, because she was completely unable to stop those wicked thoughts from crossing her mind and within a few, blurred seconds they were facing the doors into their chambers. She barely had the chance to blink and recognize the doors before they were inside, those same doors sliding closed behind her with a finality that made her breath hitch with fearful excitement.

She clutched at his shoulders for a moment, her head spinning as he set her down on her feet; she looked up and met his heated, molten gaze and swallowed hard at the sheer amount of desire that he was looking down at her with. In all her life she had never expected to be looked at with such demanding need, and her flesh pebbled and she shivered as his eyes roved over her slowly and languorously, those eyes darkened and sensual promising all sorts of unspeakable pleasure just waiting to be had.

No words were spoken; none were needed as they came together slowly, her eyes falling closed in order to savor the feel of his demanding lips as he engaged her, unerringly hitting just the right spot to cause her to open to him without pause. The kiss was hot, wet, and urgent as the simmering passion between them exploded fiercely. Kagome couldn't help the long, low moan that sounded from deep in her throat as she clutched at him, pulling herself closer to his body mindlessly. He swallowed it, swallowed her breath, deepening the kiss that much more as his hands swept down her back and molded her small form to his much larger one.

Despite the differences in their sizes she fit perfectly to him, every soft, rounded place on her body matching to his hard plains and edges as though cast from the same mold.

It was a perfection only to be found by those that had truly been created for each other – as they had.

Her tongue dancing with Sesshoumaru's and running the length of his fangs with passionate abandon Kagome moaned her pleasure to her lover, unable and even unwilling to hide her reactions from him. She wanted him to know how he was making her feel, just as she wanted to know how she was making him feel. To her everlasting pleasure, Sesshoumaru was not a silent lover as so many males were. He was half feral already and very vocal with it as she caressed his tongue and fangs with her own tongue and swept her hands over his shoulders, down as much of his back as she could reach, and down his arms as well as his magnificent chest and tight abdomen.

But his clothing was in the way of her explorations, her need to feel his flesh against her hands making her rip impatiently at his hitatare and sash with a displeased little snarl that Sesshoumaru found absolutely adorable as he pulled away from the kiss, the need for air finally forcing him away from her lips. Seeing her irritation and understanding its cause he pulled away from her entirely, cherishing the small whine that came from her then as a sign of her need for him. With no ceremony he pulled his hitatare away after ripping off his sash, flinging them carelessly off into the room somewhere followed swiftly by his kosode, leaving nothing but his now-loosened hakama on his body.

Kagome's eyes were immediately drawn to his waist as his hakama lay low on his hips, revealing much even as it hid even more. His arousal was more than obvious, the silk of his hakama molding to his hardness lovingly and emphasizing his immense size. But rather than being frightened by it as another, more experienced woman would have been, she was simply fascinated by his body – far too much to pay attention to anything else.

He was beautiful.

_No, _she shook her head absently as she stared with wide-eyed wonder at the daiyoukai who was standing proudly, holding still almost breathlessly so that she could look her fill, _beautiful doesn't even begin to explain it. I don't think there's a word for him. His beauty could only be of the gods. _Kagome felt very small and insignificant then – but only for a moment, as her eyes caught the markings tracing around his hips to curl suggestively towards that certain part of him that would soon be driving her to heights of pleasure she'd only ever dreamed of in the deepest and loneliest parts of the night. At those times, when the world was sleeping around her and she was the only one awake, her mind would turn to what it would be like to feel the touch of another on her body. And she had always wanted to find out – at the hands of the very male that was watching her reaction to his body with a satisfied growl that spoke volumes of his pleasure in and need of her. It made her feelings of inferiority fade away, leaving only thoughts of pleasing him in her mind.

Eyeing those stripes with a suddenly watering mouth and the wicked desire to taste them Kagome didn't stop to even think, she simply followed that desire; falling to her knees, her tongue met his hot flesh and with scarcely hidden need she licked him. A relishing sound broke from her throat as the taste of him washed over her tongue. She barely noticed Sesshoumaru's shocked hiss at her bold move, too busy savoring the taste that could never be mistaken for anything other than him. Nothing else so perfect could ever exist in this earthly realm.

_Change incarnate I may be and yet there are things that I would never change, not for anything in the world, and he's definitely one of them, _she thought as she trailed her tongue hotly down one curving stripe. But she didn't get the chance to do anything further as she was suddenly yanked away and tossed onto the futon, before being covered by a hot – and completely nude – body. She didn't even have the chance to blink – or protest. She found that she was also now naked, bared to her lover completely. _How did that happen so fast? _she wondered vaguely, though the thought floated away before she could even really notice it.

She pouted, looking up into his blazing eyes. "I wasn't finished," she said, the taste of him still coating her tongue and driving her sense of taste wild.

"Oh, but you are," he breathed as he swooped down and took her lips, forcing them open and sending his tongue deep into her mouth, growling as he found the taste of his own body there. _Her and I together taste divine like the ambrosia of the gods... and it will be even better when I finish combining us... _He pulled away after a moment, waiting for her to open her eyes; when she did he shivered at the sleepy, heavy-lidded look she sent him.

"You are very forward for a virgin, woman," he said, even more hotly turned on at the realization. Apparently the normally timid, frightened and uncertain behavior of virgins had grown annoying to him. Kagome was... anything but normal in the best of circumstances, however, and where most probably would not like that, he certainly did.

"I can act timid if you want me to," she said huskily, "but it would be an act, because for some reason I just don't really feel that way."

"I would not have you cloak yourself in pretense, Kagome – it certainly does not suit you," he said with a punishing nip to her bottom lip, before beginning to map a path of painful pleasure across her flesh with lips and fangs and tongue that soon had her forgetting whether she was timid or forward, up or down, Kagome or even someone else. _Pain and pleasure, poison and antidote all in one... _she thought disjointedly as he swept a hand down her side and across her belly and then up to cup a breast. _Yes... poison... _

"You're poison, Sesshoumaru," she cried out as the mind-blowing and dangerous sensation of his touch washed her away. "My own brand of poison," she finished in an almost tortured whisper as her eyes fell closed and her brow furrowed, a fading echo of her earlier bit of angst over his cold nature and her needing heart rippling the surface of her mind for a few moments. _I can't turn you away even without love... I could never turn you away..._

Her eyes flickered back open as a fierce and crescendoing growl ripped up from somewhere deep within him and he looked up at her, baring his fangs. "I _am _poison, woman, deadly poison, but it is far too late for you to escape for you are already infected with the need for me, you are already _mine!_" A dark, knowing smile widened mobile lips for just a moment. "And by the time I am done with you I will be running though your very veins. Should _anyone_ ever think to shed your blood they will be burned to their deaths by the caustic nature of what it will become once I am through here tonight, Kagome. By the time the sun vanquishes the pale light of this night, _all_ will know that you belong to this Inu Lord, and what the penalty for touching you will be!" he finished fiercely and triumphantly, holding her widening eyes for several long, warning seconds before falling on her like an avalanche and devouring her flesh inch by inch - in ways Kagome's 'til that moment rather innocent mind had never even imagined.

What Sesshoumaru did to her there in that darkened room through the long hours of the night resembled nothing that Kagome had ever heard of. Nowhere was it anything like the soft, romantic couplings she'd dreamed of when younger, nor did it resemble even any dark, sexual act she'd ever heard whisper of in her world. He took her over, took her hard and in ways that reminded her time and time again that while Sesshoumaru may have a human form, he was _not_ one. It couldn't even be rightly called animalistic, because he resembled no kind of mortal animal that ever existed. And it was addictive, the sensations and the pleasure that blended with the most perfect knife's edge of pain as he parted her skin and sipped of her blood in tiny increments before running his tongue over the little slice, making it feel as though he were a drug, spreading pleasure across that same skin he'd just partaken of.

She knew instinctively that no normal human woman that had ever lain with a human man would know what she experienced there through the hours of the night, that only those females who'd had the pleasure and sweet pain of a youkai mate – and only the ones that were close to Sesshoumaru's caliber – _would_ ever know.

For Sesshoumaru Kagome was a feast of delights. Her skin had a perfect, slightly musky but delicate flavor that he couldn't seem to get enough of, and he laved her body like a male savoring a fine meal. Her blood was even more exquisite; like nothing he'd ever tasted before, even with all his years. It was like no human's blood he'd ever known, and it was also nothing like any youkai blood, either. It was heady like fine sake, rich and full-bodied and it sizzled across his tongue with all the fullness of her power, sending pleasure skating along all his nerve endings and shivers down his spine. He couldn't wait to taste it once his poison had merged with it, adding that dangerous and spicy edge to it. It would be like the liqueur of the gods, intoxicating beyond measure – and it would be all his.

The thought spun fire through every nerve in his body, and actually electrified by the thought he felt the sensitivity of his skin increase to almost hyper-awareness, wiping every thought from his mind.

He nipped sharply at her collarbone, a subsonic, low rumbling growl erupting from him as she moaned his name in heady abandonment. It was a continuous sound that Kagome couldn't hear but could feel, and he enjoyed the pebbling of her skin as her body responded to it. Moving down towards her left breast, he stopped just above her heart and without warning sank his fangs into her skin until he found a vein and then began the process of fusing his poison into her system by feeding her the first little bit of it.

She froze as he'd known she would, and pulling his fangs from her after a few moments he lapped up the single droplet of blood that came to the surface before his poison sealed the small wound and headed for her heart. He hadn't told her everything about mating, since some of it wouldn't really change anything with who and what she was. But the concept of 'becoming one' that the humans spoke of was something that they got from the little they knew of youkai mating, and with youkai it wasn't just a concept or sweet words – it was nothing more than the literal truth.

Once the mating process was completed, they would literally be one being in two bodies. Their auras would bind and become identical to each other and their hearts would beat with the same cadence, even their souls would be bound as one – and their blood and power would also become one. The only thing that wouldn't change was their appearances. Even their scents would change, becoming a combining of both of their natural scents. Possibly the most intimate part of the process was the sharing of their emotions, and for Sesshoumaru was one reason that he'd never considered taking a mate.

He eschewed open emotion even more than most of the peoples of this land – youkai and ningen both. Obviously he had them just like all the creations of the kami did, but they were kept under strict and very tight control. He was an intensely private and reserved being, and the sharing of that most hidden and private part of himself was not something he'd ever desired. There was also the matter of trust; in order to share such a part of yourself you had to implicitly trust the one you were sharing yourself with, and he had never trusted anyone at all – let alone that much.

He did trust Kagome, though. And so while he would never speak aloud the words she had so wished to hear earlier, once he had her mated, bonded, and sealed she would not need to hear them because she would be able to feel the emotions she inspired in him for herself. That was why he had not worried overmuch when he'd realized where her mind had gone and why her aura had saddened. Soon enough, they would both be completely exposed to each other, all their strengths, weaknesses, emotions and thoughts would be known openly and shared between them.

Already, as his poison flowed towards her heart he could feel her response to the feel of it inside her – unlike what most would think, in small increments and when done in this manner it was intensely pleasurable and sensual rather than painful or dangerous. She was responding to it even now, undulating beneath him and looking at him with dilating pupils as she began to become intoxicated by it.

"Sesshoumaru," she crooned, eyes falling closed as the intensity built slowly within her, and a dark smile edged his lips as he continued on to tease a furled nipple, running his tongue around the aureole but deliberately ignoring the hardened flesh at the tip of her breast. She cried out, the sweet pain of unfulfilled desire echoing harshly through her voice as he teased her. Arching up, she offered herself without even thinking about it, and after long moments of that teasing as he drew out the painful edge along the sharp pleasure he finally gave her what she wanted and closed his mouth over the nipple, suckling on it in strong draws that knocked the breath right out of her.

So gently that she barely even felt it he once again sank his fangs into her flesh, savoring the drop of blood and once more sending a drop of poison into her as her flesh quivered and pebbled even more strongly. "Your blood laced with my poison is divine, woman," he said as he lifted his head from that breast to move to the other, repeating his torture on that one before also piercing it and feeding it that bit of poison. "The nectar of the gods," he breathed with relish, a satisfied thrill running through him at the thought of always having such an erotic bounty as their combined essences to feed from. The sexual act had never before been so desired as it now was to him...

Kagome didn't respond in words; quite simply she was unable to as pleasure spread through her body from every spot that he pierced and slipped his poison into. She'd never felt anything like it; never imagined anything like it even in the darkest of her dreams. She could literally feel every drop as it spread slowly throughout every part of her system like a warm tide. Little did she know that an orgasm was waiting at the end of it; once he had fed her body all the poison it needed to change it permanently, the pleasure would overwhelm her mind and she would be one of the lucky few that would intimately understand the term 'the little death'.

Detaching himself from the second breast, he continued on, laving her skin with his tongue and at certain carefully chosen and symbolic points, piercing her delicately with his fangs and feeding her more of himself.

The exchange was even however, because even as his poison entered her system, opening her skin with his fangs meant that her power also entered him - giving him the same effect as his poison did her. He was _so _aroused, more than at any other time in his life. It was exhilarating, like being at the center of a storm and feeling all the power of nature flowing through your body. It enervated him and he needed to hurry and take her, because he instinctively knew that when he finally released it would be unlike anything else he'd ever experienced, and with her he would never allow himself to release outside of her body. His seed would only ever be spent inside her.

He'd never allowed himself to spill inside a female, always he'd pulled away at the ultimate moment, because in his mind such a thing should only be reserved for one's mate – only a mate should receive her male's seed. Females he'd used only for release had never received such an intimacy from him.

Sliding his way down as she moved sinuously beneath him in her poison-drugged pleasure, Sesshoumaru came to her navel and pulled back a little to look at it. A tender feeling passed swiftly through him, interrupting his pleasure-seeking haze for just a moment; she was so soft there, so delicate and vulnerable and he leaned down and kissed that flesh, delving his tongue against her softly and wringing a cry of submission and pleasure from her. That cry was music to his ears and it tugged at his instincts, once more submerging his higher thought processes and immediately returning him to a state of rapidly intensifying need.

Finally he found himself at the point where her thighs met her torso, and with unerring accuracy pinpointed the spot where the femoral artery, pulsing with her lifeblood, was located. With a hiss and narrowing eyes he stared at the blue vein for a moment, his left hand already caressing the exact same spot on her left side. This was a very important spot... and swallowing harshly, he dipped his head and with a deep, dark sound of ultimate satisfaction sank his fangs in, poison already dripping from the tips of them in anticipation.

It was a good thing he'd gripped her thighs to hold her in place; the moment his poison entered her there she gasped and her body convulsed, so much pleasure spiking through her blood that she lost her breath. Sesshoumaru knew it, he could feel it more and more as their blood and power aligned, pulling their souls together as well. The final seal would be when he pierced her left femoral artery, sending the last bit of his poison on its journey to her heart.

_It is almost done, _he thought with savage and almost frightening satisfaction. _Just one more time..._

The moment he sent his poison into that last place, both of them convulsed in a pleasure so intense it was overwhelming even to him; white light burst in his mind as he howled bestially, followed swiftly by red fire that swarmed through his bloodstream as her power flowed through him. Finally, blackness descended on him, a blackness that was warm and welcoming. He could feel her there in the darkness with him and wrapped himself around her, finalizing the binding as pleasure swept through both their bodies, giving Kagome her first release of the night. He managed to hang on – barely.

He could tell her core was weeping for him as his mind returned from the darkness, burning hot and spinning more fire through his bloodstream just at the scent of it. As the darkness receded fully and his consciousness returned he moved without hesitation to that place, slowly spreading her open and plunging his tongue deep inside her. A harsh moan combined with a growl was ripped from his throat at her sweet and arousing taste, and it was to that sound that Kagome herself awoke from her very first trip into orgasm.

"Oh," she whimpered tightly as what he was doing to her registered; her fingers gripped the bedclothes beneath her as the cool strands of his iridescent hair brushed against her incredibly sensitized skin. His tongue, warm and wet and just slightly rough sent a chill over her skin, and made her ache deep inside. Instinctively she knew that feeling of emptiness within could only be eased by his body conquering hers and she writhed beneath him in exquisite pleasure combined with that now familiar knife's edge of pain, pleading with him to just take her.

For Sesshoumaru, her begging for him to invade her body with his own and fill her was the most pleasurable thing he'd ever heard. It spread a horrible and wonderful pain through him as his arousal surged and his manhood began to hurt even worse, needing her as much as she needed him. Without conscious thought he ground himself against the bedding, trying to ease the ache for just another moment, just one more taste. As badly as he wanted to finally and forever take her body with his as he'd already bound it to him he couldn't stop tasting her, wanting her taste always on his tongue and her scent always in his nose. Nothing so perfect to delight his senses could possibly exist besides her.

He shuddered as she lifted one leg and ran it along his body trying to get him to move, the feel of her tiny toes brushing his flesh so damned enticing. She made a small, distressed sound as her need rose sharply within her, and for Sesshoumaru that was it. It gave him the strength to tear himself away from her and surge up her body in preparation for finally taking it with his own.

Feeling him moving finally Kagome cried out with relief, her eyes opening and surprising Sesshoumaru with their glow. He had not expected that, never having seen her eyes glow before but it was a fleeting curiosity, the wonder fading as fast as it had appeared. He was too far gone in his lust to really notice anything right now besides satisfying it, and had anyone tried to interrupt them they would have been facing a feral and deadly enemy.

He knew she was a virgin. And while most would have been preparing themselves to go slowly, to attempt to be gentle he was not, because his poison swimming through her veins would only turn the pain of breaching into pleasure for her. He didn't even bother to warn her as he positioned himself to finally and forever conquer the only female on earth that was worthy of him. Reddened eyes met and held hers, and with a savage sound of feral pleasure Sesshoumaru surged forward, taking her body over from the inside out as he announced his conquest to the world with a howl so loud it was probably heard for miles.

For Kagome, the feel of him filling the emptiness inside was a shock. Exquisitely painful while also just as perfectly pleasurable, the sensation knocked the breath from her lungs and every thought from her mind. Every single nerve in her body reacted as though she'd been hit by lightening as he slid forward inside her, the motion seeming one long, hot thrust that would never end. White fire filled her mind surged through her blood and burst in her core, and she rippled around the burning intrusion into her body, wrapping around him and gripping him so tightly he could barely continue moving. The howl that ripped from his throat as he took her excited her, deafening her even as it surged even more pleasure through her, the knowledge that he was so pleased with her feeding her emotional side and making tears fill her eyes.

"Ah!" she cried, her voice rising in counterpoint to his own, though overpowered by his as she arched up into him welcomingly, allowing him to take every bit of depth he could possibly take as her thighs parted even further around him. As the fire swept through her she savored the feel of him inside her, savored the feeling of fullness where before there had only been needy emptiness.

Sesshoumaru shuddered as he thrust forward and her inner flesh gripped around him; he'd never felt anything like it before in his life. Every single inch of her fit completely to him, caressing him in ways he'd never known he could be. He snarled as he finally came to the end of her, his head just pressing against her cervix as his hips came to rest against hers. She was a perfect fit in every way.

"Perfection," he growled lowly, his voice deepening impossibly and sending shivers up Kagome's spine at the arousing sound of it. "So perfect, Kagome," he crooned.

She quivered all over, every inch of her body still electrified and trembling with restless energy as she tried to still her quaking muscles. She was unsuccessful however, as she could feel him throbbing inside her and the sensation sent her heart pounding as his matched hers beat for beat and she realized that everything she was feeling, he was also feeling. She gasped, stunned, as he'd not told her about any of this and managed to look up at him with confused and questioning eyes.

"We are one," he said in response to that question, "our bodies, souls, power, minds and even hearts are one, Kagome." He growled again, this time even lower at the feel of her around him as his mind began to cloud over once more with need and desire, but he fought it off for a few seconds longer to finish reassuring his lover, his mate... his heart and soul. "It is the bond of the youkai and where humans got the phrase, 'becoming one'." A small snarl curled his lip. "For humans it is merely a pretty phrase, but for us... it is nothing but the truth."

As Kagome's eyes flared with light at his words, he could feel the surge of sheer love that flared up and surrounded him in that moment, stunning him with its strength and purity. He'd figured out quickly that she had those feelings for him; Kagome was not one to mate someone just because she was physically attracted. But to feel it was something entirely different from just knowing it, and Sesshoumaru froze as his body and mind was overwhelmed by it.

He could feel parts of himself that he hadn't realized were cold and damaged, even dead, warming back into life with the healing power of her soul, and knew that he was irrevocably changed as she wound her life and warmth indelibly into his own heart and soul. He had told her already that youkai rarely changed but that when they did it was absolute. But even he had not expected what was happening now, and he could do little but stare back into her eyes, both their bodies shivering in reaction to what was happening as well as their painful stillness. It was a sharing beyond time or space, and neither was ever sure afterward just how long they lay like that, bodies joined as one and sharing the entirety of who and what they were between each other.

When it was over and the sharing was complete, both showed differences that would be quite visible to all around them. In Kagome's eyes there was a stillness, an ancient light that had not been there before hinting at the untold knowledge and power that Sesshoumaru contained within him and that he had shared with her.

But it was in Sesshoumaru that the biggest change could be seen; there was now a much more relaxed quality to him and a knowing glint in his eyes showing just a hint of Kagome's more playful nature. He looked down at her with hooded eyes and his lips crashed against hers in a commanding and powerful kiss as he attempted to show his feelings through his actions – feelings that were now freed from their prison in his heart and surging to the surface with almost frightening intensity in an attempt to match the power and purity of hers.

_I knew, _he thought, almost in shock, _I knew of this sharing... and yet... I did not. I never expected something like... this. But then again, I doubt it would ever have been anything like this with anyone other than her. Perhaps it never has been in the history of the youkai race, and I am simply more blessed by kami than any other. _Satisfaction surged inside him at the thought even as he battled Kagome's tongue into submission and finally gathered enough of his mind back together to begin moving, his body screaming in agony at the need for friction, for movement, just as hers was.

Her muscles jolted at his slow withdrawal and she inhaled on a shocked gasp as sharp ecstasy ran over her in a huge wave of pleasure, drowning her in sensation. "Sesshoumaru," she moaned into his mouth as he pulled away just a little, nipping at her lips with his fangs and enjoying the reaction as her flesh shuddered beneath him.

"Yes, little mate?" he asked huskily as he settled into a steady rhythm, hard and just marginally fast – for a human. He bent his head and scraped his fangs down her neck, taking a long, decadent lick right behind it as she gave off a quavering moan that excited the beast that he truly was – the beast that was hiding in human skin. When she didn't answer he thrust harder into her, shocking a yelp out of her. "Speak to me, my lover. Do you enjoy how it feels when I taste your blood?"

His tone was dark and rich with power as his eyes actually glowed like rubies, and Kagome's own eyes widened as he slammed into her, a drop of her blood still clinging to one fang. She watched spellbound as his tongue reached up to lick it away. As he did, the most erotic expression she'd ever seen crossed his face, exciting her to no end and causing her core to contract strongly around him.

"Yes," she managed to get out just as he moved, pulling back and spreading his own thighs between hers and forcing her to open further to him. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back into him, her buttocks and thighs now suspended above the bedding and held in place by him as he pounded into her body. "Oh, gods!" she shouted then as he hit something deep inside her she'd not known about, and as her eyes fell closed and she clenched her jaws tightly together she missed the devilish look cross Sesshoumaru's face.

Taking note of her surprised shout and its meaning, he angled his hips to continue hitting that spot inside her, bewitched by how she looked and sounded in her pleasure. He could feel his own but it was distant, hiding behind his need to see her release with him inside her. He needed to watch her, needed to know he was pleasing her and that she was finding her pleasure at his hands before he could allow himself to release, to drown in his own pleasure and forget who he was for a while.

Deliberately slowing down from the driving pace he'd set, Sesshoumaru watched Kagome's face intently as he almost gently pulled from within her, cherishing the pleading whimper that came from her lips as he turned her onto her stomach and then pulled her hips up just enough for him to slip back inside. As he did, she pushed back against him, "Oh, please," slipping breathlessly from her as he slid all the way in and pressed his hips against her sweetly curved backside.

"Please what, Kagome?" he managed to get out as his voice broke on a growl at the feel of her sheath tightening around him in loving welcome. His entire body was so sensitized by this time that the feel of her soft skin against his was painful torture. He needed to release so badly... "What is it you want from me, my Lotus?"

Desperate for release from the talons gripping her with sharp pleasure-pain, Kagome looked up and into wild eyes with a suddenly knowing gleam in her own, and smiled. Reaching down, she grasped one of his hands and pulled it away from her hip, then took one finger and pressed the sharp claw against the spot over her heart that he'd pierced with his fangs earlier just enough to draw a little blood. Then she lifted his hand to his mouth and pressed him to take his finger into his mouth, and without looking away from her he did, savoring the taste of her blood and his poison now mixed as one. "Take everything that you need from me, Sesshoumaru," she said, her voice husky. "Everything that I am is for you."

Electrified by her words and erotic actions her new lover and mate found another source of energy and passion, once again withdrawing from her and rolling onto his back as he pulled her atop him. Surprised for a moment, Kagome seemed to realize what he was wanting from the prodding of their newly established bond.

With a wicked smile that captured Sesshoumaru's attention completely Kagome settled upon him, taking him back into her body with a sinuous shimmy that stunned him – for a moment, and then a dark smirk tilted his lips - he'd known she had such hidden passions... but even he was surprised at just how passionate she really was. She was truly like no other female around, and he was quite pleased with that.

Both his hands sliding up her taut belly he cupped her breasts and played with the tips, watching as her head fell back and she moaned deeply. The pace had slowed and she kept it that way, rising up and then slowly coming down upon him with a peculiar little twist of her hips and clenching of her internal muscles that about blew his mind.

"Faster," he urged her huskily, but she merely smiled cheekily and shook her head, enjoying teasing him and that desperate look in his eyes too much to cooperate.

"I don't think so, she taunted softly, slowing even more.

With a loud growl she found herself flipped onto her side as he once again took control, baring his fangs at her when she looked over her shoulder at him in surprise. This had gone on too long, now - he was in pain with his need and he was done with playing.

Speeding up rapidly even with this slightly more awkward position, Sesshoumaru gripped his mate's thigh tightly and pulled it up higher on his own leg, opening her to his rapid thrusts more. But with an aggravated growl he once again pulled out, that position just not giving him the speed and depth he craved with every bit of his soul.

Yanking her back onto her knees once more he plunged into her grasping flesh with a howl, going hell bent for leather and pounding into her all too willing body as she writhed and pleaded and gasped out her pleasure. Totally out of his mind, Sesshoumaru could barely hear her sweet voice exhorting him, his blood roaring in his ears and blocking out everything but the fangs of ecstasy nipping at every inch of his body.

Kagome was in no better shape than he was, her climax almost upon her as her body tightened up with such fierceness that she knew she would be very sore tomorrow. She couldn't seem to find it in herself to care however, and the thought floated away into the depths of her mind as she was pushed to the very edge of the precipice.

With one hard slam of his hips and a grind deeper into her she fell off that cliff, thrown into the abyssal depths of euphoria as her vision dimmed and then inverted. For several seconds she could even see the capillaries in her eyes as her vision turned - and then her mind shut down, too overwhelmed to cope as she went limp in her mate's grip.

Sesshoumaru felt her reach her peak with an agonized howl, her body gripping his so tightly that he snarled as he pounded into her once, twice, then three times and let himself follow his new mate into the depths, his length so hard that his orgasm actually had a fine edge of pain that he found he thoroughly enjoyed. Held rigid as his body raged in release he howled again in triumph, holding her now limp body up by the hips until his body weakened in his release and he finally finished, falling forward against his mate's back before he managed to catch himself.

Panting and barely able to hold himself up over her he forced himself to turn onto his side, drawing her still limp body with him as his great strength spent itself and he closed his eyes, just so stunned at what had just happened. Rutting some wench for release was certainly not like that, that was for certain.

After a few seconds Kagome stirred; he was not worried, as he could feel her as though she were his own body and he knew that she'd simply passed out in her release. _Well, it isn't called the 'little death'_ _for nothing_, he thought, a chuckle rumbling from his chest.

He didn't try to stop Kagome when she finally tried to move, instead waiting for her to turn as he could feel she wished to do and look at him. When her still stunned eyes met his he smiled, the look of awe in them pleasing him.

"And now you, Kagome, avatar of the Gods and Change personified, belong to this Sesshoumaru. You and all your possibilities and power are mine - I will never let you go, little mate. I am, indeed, your particular brand of poison."

She stared at him, unable to even think of a reply, her mind still not really functional. But she didn't have to be all there to realize that was not just a declaration – it was a warning.

_Poison..._

_Yes... he is my poison..._

… _And I am his Lotus – deadly to any other but him._

_We are... poison and power._


	9. Epilogue: Ever the Lotus

**Epilogue: Ever the Lotus**

"Inuyasha!"

The hanyou turned around with a smile at the cheerful shout and waved, waiting for the owner of the voice to catch up to him.

He watched her carefully and was pleased to see the bright happiness in her aura – it seemed his brother was keeping his best friend content. Of course, they had been together for some years now so it wasn't as if he hadn't known of her happiness, but sometimes it was still so difficult to believe that his ass of an uptight older brother could ever be what someone like Kagome needed to be so electrically ecstatic.

"Hey, you," he said, his smile softening and a fond light in his eyes as he looked down at the small woman who had managed to conquer his arrogant brother. She was glowing with health – and also quite large with child. It was her first.

"I've missed you, you big jerk," she giggled as she leaned in and gave him a careful hug. "Where's Hiroko, and what are you doing here?" she asked, falling into step next to him as he headed down the hall towards his brother's study.

"She's at home – you know she's ready to whelp soon and isn't in the mood for traveling. She's doing that 'nesting' thing you two talked about," he wrinkled his nose. "I swear the servants are all going to quit en masse if she makes them take the palace apart just one more time to clean and rearrange it," he finished wryly as Kagome chuckled understandingly. The inuyoukai female, who she had become very close to in the intervening years since the beautiful female had mated her best friend, was closer to giving birth to her second child than Kagome was to birthing her first, and she hadn't yet hit that 'nesting' period.

She could feel it coming, though.

"Poor thing – I bet she's terribly uncomfortable right now, what with the weather and all," she said sympathetically. "How much longer does she have?" she added questioningly as she began to plan – she had every intention of being there to assist as the midwife in the birth of her newest niece or nephew, but with her own condition, traveling took a little bit more planning – read arguing with her mate, who was insistent on keeping her locked up in the palace and always took several days to argue into submission.

Inuyasha, knowing what she was thinking, chuckled. "Within the next week, she says. That's actually why I'm here – she's been asking for you. I don't think she feels safe with anyone else as a midwife, and she finally nagged me enough that I decided it would be easier and more pleasant to face Sesshoumaru's temper when it comes to taking you anywhere." He scrunched his face up comically in disgust. "I would never, in even the most outrageous dream have ever been able to imagine my cold, arrogant, 'I don't have anyone to protect' brother becoming so... well... _overprotective _of anyone. He's almost insane when it comes to you, seriously!"

Kagome couldn't help the chuckle that teased from her – because Inuyasha was right. Sesshoumaru was almost insane when it came to her – he freaked out if she even sneezed. Who would have ever thought something like that was possible?

They slowed as they reached their destination, and Kagome rapped on the shoji before sliding it open and stepping inside, followed by her best friend and brother. Just as he caught sight of the other occupant of the room she said, "I know, right? But I wouldn't worry about him fighting with you about this trip – your papa's been here a while and working on him." She looked up at her mate's perturbed face and smiled gently. "Plus, he already knew that I would be attending the birthing anyway, no matter what he says. I'm fine, and still have some time yet before this little one-" she patted her belly affectionately as her baby pressed against her hand, "-is due to arrive, so there's no danger."

A low growl followed that proclamation as their father laughed merrily. "Is it then time to leave?" he asked after a moment to calm his amusement.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Hiroko says so. She's been panicking, worried about what would happen if the rabid fluffball over there decided to put his foot down and refuse Kagome's desire to attend her." He smirked at the glare his brother hit him with. "Of course, we all know who really wears the hakama around here – he's never able to deny her anything she really wants."

Sesshoumaru snarled at the impudent puppy even as Kagome managed to look demure, smoothing her hands down her rounded little belly. "Oh, calm down, Sesshoumaru," she remonstrated with her irritable mate, watched with great interest by his father and younger brother. "I'm fine, and I'll be quite happy to get out and about even if it is just to take care of Hiroko. You are being silly about this – you know I'm in perfect health."

Sesshoumaru sighed, disgruntled but unable to deny her words. She _was_ in excellent health, the pregnancy going smoothly and so far fairly easily for her.

He still didn't want her out of the palace.

"Very well. We will be there this afternoon, Inuyasha," he finally said tightly, looking not at all happy about the coming time spent at his brother's home.

At first, when Kagome had found that she was pregnant he was pleased and content – but unworried. Females whelped pups all the time without any problems, and it hadn't occurred to him that anything could really go wrong. Until one of the household staff, a young female recently mated, got pregnant. It was rare for youkai to have problems with birthing, he'd since found out, but she had for some reason, miscarrying and almost dying herself in the process. And that was when he'd lost his mind – after all, his own mate was carrying their first child, and she was not youkai. Even if she wasn't entirely human, either, it seemed that race often had such problems, and he'd become totally unreasonable about her desire to go anywhere, let alone be out of his sight.

Kagome clapped excitedly and turned towards the door, chattering a mile a minute about the coming trip outside her erstwhile prison, determined to have her things packed and ready to go as soon as possible. The three males left behind in the study watched her go off, two with fond, indulgent smiles, and one with worried eyes that he was trying very hard to hide from everyone else.

After a moment Sesshoumaru followed his little mate from the room to make sure that she didn't try to do any of the packing herself – that's what the maids were for. _I may as well ready myself, too, _he growled to himself, annoyed. He looked up and frowned, then hurried after his practically racing mate.

"Slow down, woman!" he demanded, reaching out and taking her arm to force her to stop her - in his opinion, anyway - headlong rush down the corridor. "Inuyasha's female isn't likely to birth the pup within the next day, so there is no need for you to endanger yourself rushing around for no good reason."

The two left behind in the study couldn't help the laughter as they watched the couple disappear down a hallway towards their quarters. Truly, to see Sesshoumaru in such a state was almost mind-blowing, and neither male wanted to forget the sight.

The Inu no Taisho, however, was really more happy about his son's seeming insanity than amused – because it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd finally learned the lesson that he'd been trying to teach him. There was no way he could ever deny that he had found his someone to protect or that he was happy with her, either.

_It is as it should be, _he smiled to himself before turning to his younger son and beginning a conversation while they waited for the couple to ready themselves.

_Finally._

~oOo~

The piercing cry of an infant echoed throughout the palace, and Sesshoumaru froze, his eyes widening at the sound and his heart beginning to race. His heir... his son had finally arrived!

It had been two months since Hiroko had given birth to Inuyasha's first son, and the anticipation of his own heir's birth as well as the worry for his mate and child had made him as tense and testy as he'd ever been. Even his father had finally stayed away, not willing to deal with his out-of-control son.

But now clearly his pup was born, strong and healthy from the sounds of the fiercely angry wails, and he could feel that though exhausted his mate was also just fine. In that moment all his worry and yes, fear, dissipated and he exhaled slowly, centering himself once more.

Now fully calm again for the first time in months he turned from the room he'd been waiting in with his family and strode towards the birthing room, pleased to find the doors already open in welcome. He swept up to the futon his mate lay reclined on... and froze.

_Two? But how is that... possible? We only heard one heartbeat and felt one aura... _Brows in his bangs with surprise, Sesshoumaru looked at his mate with confusion. "Two?"

Kagome met her mate's gaze with a small, tired smile and shrugged. "That's not even the strangest thing," she sighed, before settling the blanket wrapped bundles down and peeling back the blankets enough for their sire to see them.

Eyes widening, Sesshoumaru gasped just slightly, shocked. This... had never occurred to him.

One of the pups was in true inuyoukai form, silky silver fur catching the light. But even as his father watched, his form began to blur and he shifted, taking on his human form. His brother was doing the same thing in reverse, his human form blurring and silver fur sprouting across his body as his transformation completed.

Inuyoukai were born in their true form, unable to change for several months until their youki had finished developing. Apparently that wasn't going to be the case for his twin sons...

_I wonder what other surprises we will find as they grow?_

~oOo~

Sesshoumaru's thought that day was an accurate one, because there were many such surprises throughout their children's lives – and they had several of them. Not a one was like any other, either – even their twin sons were completely opposite each other, even if only in temperament.

All of them, however, had their mother's shape-changing ability, to their father's pleasure.

They were all youkai in manner though their gifts were each different and marked them as something _more_. But no matter how many times in the following centuries another youkai met his young for the first time, the reaction was always the same.

"Their mother is... _human_?"

He was even challenged several times by other youkai for bedding a seeming human and breeding his heirs from her - although once or twice a male showed a modicum of intelligence in challenging him _for_ her instead. Of course, that little bit of intelligence in wanting her for themselves disappeared when it came to them actually challenging him to combat over the matter. He didn't kill any of them in deference to his mate's soft heart, but they would certainly never forget the lesson he'd imparted to them through massive amounts of pain.

It was definitely most foolish for the ones that had challenged him _over_ her seeming humanity - when he'd defeated them in the arena he'd parade his pups before them and point out quite viciously that there was no weakness within them. And once Kagome's questionable humanity was dismissed those youkai became quite as jealous as the ones who'd challenged _for _her, because all you had to do was open your senses to tell just how powerful the pups were.

There really was no discernible weakness within them.

Sesshoumaru wasn't stupid enough to believe that his pups were perfect. But they were much closer to it than any other youkai he'd ever come across, their weaknesses minor and easily hidden behind their strengths. That was only helped as he trained them assiduously through the centuries to be the best they could possibly be.

Those intervening centuries were quite interesting, as well. Kagome had allowed him to read one of her history books, one that dealt with his era through the advent of her own, and he watched with intent curiosity as those same years began to pass and things were in many cases much different than what they had been originally. It seemed that the changes Kagome was initiating with her presence and choices were indeed changing the world for the better, and he could only be thankful for that because most of the world she'd come from that he'd come in contact with was no kind of place for a youkai.

According to Kagome, in a lot of cases it was no kind of place for decent humans, either. She much preferred his world to her own former one, and now at least it wouldn't be what it had been originally when it finally came around again.

The first time they'd visited her world after their mating had shown them the differences between what had been originally and what was now. The world was less crowded and much less polluted - and there were now youkai there, as well.

That fact had pleased Sesshoumaru immensely, of course, as it did Kagome. That didn't mean the world was perfect, because it was far from it. But it was better than it had once been, and that was a step in the right direction.

Sesshoumaru's interest in his mate never waned, and even centuries after mating her he was just as drawn to her as he'd originally been, maybe even more after so long together because there was always something more to discover about her, always something new. Bokuseno hadn't been wrong when he'd named her the Lotus, and she would ever remain that way to him.

She would always be his Lotus, queen of mystery...

... and goddess of truth and change.

~oOo~

A/N: And finally, the oldest one of my still open stories is complete. Sheesh. What a long time this one took! I am so sorry to all those who were left hanging on this one - I just couldn't decide how to finish it. And with the recently ended bout of writer's block that I've been struggling with for over a year, that's not surprising. But I promised I wouldn't abandon any of my stories ever, and I am still upholding that promise!

Amber


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